IceBreaking
by Green Penguin Queen
Summary: Sasusaku. Sakura and Sasuke haven't spoken since he got back, now they're alone trying to get Naruto back from a screwed up mission, and decide to play a little game. rated T for language
1. Prologue

Hi everybody!

Well, here I am.

I'm not really new at this site, but I am at writing. I probably suck and have never done a Fanfic before. [I Have with other people, and 1 by myself, but I ended up leaving it when I ran out on inspiration, besides, it was written in another format, like plays

Well, I'm just warning you, so please bear with me. And f you on't like what I'm doing, it would be greatly apreciated if you told me what I'm doing wrong.

Btw; This story is sorta based on Jaclyn Moriarty's "The Year of Secret Assignments".

Well, here goes nothing!

"Quack" -Talking

"_**Quack"**_- Inner

"_Quack__**"**_-Thoughts

**"Ice Breakers"**

Sasuke lied down on his bed, annoyed. All those stupid fangirls had followed him around again. "Sasuke-KUN! Pwease! Go out with me?". Who on earth had given those retards the right to add the suffix -kun to his name anyways? If he hadn't been raised the way as an Uchiha, he would've snaped their fingers like a twig everytime they dared to touch him.

Not that he's someone to break people's limbs everytime they come into a 2-feet-radius, but these girls? Oh, they deserve to raped by Orochimaru to later be thrown into a volcano, where their "pretty" faces were to be horribly distortioneduntil the point that they wouldn't even recognize themselves, to later be thrown into the bottom of the sea, kunais stuck into each of their limbs, making them bleed out while their lungs burst because of the pressure.

His daydream was interrupted by a Kakashi, who had inconspicuously apeared in his window. The boy didn't even flich, for he had sensed Kakashi's chakra about 5 seconds ago.

"Hey there, Sasuke! Anything wrong?". Asked the masked sensei as he smiled (or semed like it to Sasuke).

"Idiotic fangirls. Won't even let me breathe without squealing or asking me out" answered the black-haired boy, not even rising from his bed to greet his sensei appropriately.

"Well, can't really help you there!" Answered Kakashi cheerfully. "Anyways, I just dropped by to give you a message."

Sasuke laid down, eyes closed, waiting for his teacher to continue. Kakashi did not resume talking, as if waiting for Sasuke to retort. Said boy opened one eye lazily to look at his silver-haired mentor, giggling creepily while having his nose buried on his book.

Sasuke grunted angrily. As soon as his sensei took notice of his student looking at him expectantly, he sweadropped, and put down his book. After a sigh, he resumed talking.

"Remember that Naruto nagged Tsunade so much to let him go on a mision alone that she sent him on a C-ranked by himself?" Started Kakashi.

"How could I forget? That dobe spent hours and hours rambling about how he is such a great ninja that he doesn't even need a team to complete a mission. I bet you an entire fortune that the dobe screwed it up." Retorted Sasuke. Kakashi stiffled a laugh.

"Well, you see, Naruto isn't exactly the brightest candle in the box, and he insulted the costumes of one of the villages when he said that he prefered eating ramen than a specially made meal that they prepared for him"

"Why doesn't this surprise me?"

"Anyways, you and Sakura need to go get him back." Said Kakashi plainly.

"Why the hell won't you go?" asked an anoyed Sasuke, who didn't feel like going on a 3 day trip to the village of the Mist with yet another annoying fangirl.

"Because I'm needed here. Besides, Why are you so angry? It won't take you that long and you can get away from your fangirls for a few days." Reasoned Kakashi.

"What do you think Sakura is?" Sasuke asked sarcastically.

"Sasuke, you haven't worked alone with her since you came back some time ago. Trust me, she has changed, A LOT. And besides, You're on probation, so can't go out of the village on your own, which is the reason that Sakura is joining you."

"Please, Kakashi, Do you honestly think that even if I did try to run away, that she would be able to stop me? Do I have to remind you how things were back when we were Genin?"

"Don't underestimate her, Sasuke, she is stronger than what she looks. Why do you think that Tsunade sent you on a mission with her in the first place? If she didn't think that Sakura could handle you, then she would've sent someone else."

Sasuke 'Hn'-ed and lied back on his bed. He took a deep breath and thought for a while. Sakura had improved since they were kids. Of course, not enough to beat him, but she made a decent Chunin.

"Get your things together! You guys are leaving in the morning" And with that, Kakashi dissapeared in a 'Poof', leaving Sasuke alone once again with his dreams of dead fangirls.

* * *

"Ok, give him 3 mg of vicodin and he should be alright, but to be sure, he must stay under observation all night." Sakura spoke quickly to the nurse, who was writing down everything sakura said.

"Sakura, Lady Tsunade asked me to remind you of the mission. You are leaving in the morning and it would be best if you went home and rest a while. After all, it's a long trip and you have to take Sasuke with you." Shizune told Sakura, who had just administered an I.V. to one of her patients. The pink-haired ninja hastened out of the room, trying to hide her nervousness over this mission.

"Shizune, I'm ok. Really, I can go on and still have energy in the morning! Besides, I have tons of patients and I can't leave them." Sakura said with a smile which had been forced to her lips.

"No. You're leaving, now." An imponent voice was heard behind all three medics. It belonged to the Gondaime. "Sakura, I need you on top shape. You have worked a lot lately and need some rest, or you will get sick and will end up as a patient here."

"But Tsunade-shisou--"Sakura was cut off by the blonde Doctor.

"Sakura, you're going home, and that's final. If you don't want to see it as an afternoon off, we can call it a suspension" Tsunade teased the young medic, knowing how proud she was of her flawless discipline record.

"No! I mean, there's no need Tsunade-sama. I'll go now." Sakura sighed in defeat.

"Just to be sure... Ino, Hinata, Please, escort Sakura home." Tsunade said as said girls popped from behind Tsunade's back.

"You heard, Forehead! Words directly form the Gondaime's mouth! Let's get going! "Ino hastily grabbed Sakura's arm and dragged her down the halls of the hospital and out the doors, while the Hyuuga heiress watched the scene amused.

Tsunade shook her head, an amused look on her face. She then snuck out while Shizune was turned and ran to her office for a bottle of sake.

* * *

"How do you feel?" Asked Hinata while walking down the streets of Konoha next to her friends.

"About what?" Responded Sakura.

"What else, Forhead! You are going on a mission with Sasuke! **By Yourself! **You haven't directly spoken to him since he got back to Konoha 6 months ago! Doesn't that make you nervous?"

Sakura felt her stomach drop to her feet. Of course she was nervous! What kind of question is that?!

"_**God, we really need to get someone smarter as a best friend!"**_

"_You know, that's plain mean! Ino's being supportive here! It's not her fault that she has a hard time dealing with the obvious!"_

"_**Umm...Yes! It is!"**_

"_Why do I even talk with you? Go to hell!"_

"_**Hi! I'm Already here!"**_

"_Die!" _

"Well Ino, to tell the truth, I'm sort of nervous. I will spend 3 days with him. And besides, I don't know how things are between us. We haven't spoken in so long!" Sakura said, after having cut off her inner from saying anything else.

"What I don't understand, Is how do you not speak to your own teammate for 6 months?" asked Hinata, half to herself, half to her friends.

"You see, most of the talking was done by Kakashi or Naruto. I only had to answer specific questions, like 'Do you see the target?' or, 'What time is it?' and things like that. We haven't really spoken."

"Well, you have three days to talk to him!"

"But I don't know what to say, or even if he want to say anything." answered a preocupied Sakura.

"Well, then play a game!" Ino suggested.

"Excuse me?" Both Hinata and Sakura had grown curious on Ino's idea.

"Yes, for example, dares. Those are always fun. You dae him to do something, he dares you back. To see who is the boldest. I don't think THE Uchiha Sasuke will turn down a competition." Said Ino, a smug smile plastered on her face.

"I don't know..."

"Come on Sak, what's the worst that could happen?" Retorted a VERY wrong Ino.

* * *

Well, yes, it sucks.

A lot for that matter. Anyways, I hope you like it and review. I will update probably this week and get on with the plot. This was sort of a prologue. If you wondered, yes, after the timeskip, thay're all 17.(except team Gai)

By the way, the title doesn't mean that they break ice [You probably know, but my sister thought that that's what it meant... u.u I know, pretty bad.

Please review, it would really boost my self esteem.


	2. Chapter 1: Departure

10/15/07

Ok, I know I should probably wait 3 or 4 days to update, but people actually reviewed!

I Am not kidding, I started jumping around my room like a maniac! Thank you so much people! It really makes me happy, therefore, inspired, for that reason, you get an update!

So this chapter goes specially dedicated to SweetKisses9, StrawBubble-Hime and empty-space. Thanks for your support people!

Oh, right, the disclaimer: Yeah, that's right I own Naruto! Now hand over my flying pig...

* * *

**IceBreaking**

**xChapter 1: Departure.x**

It was 5 am. Sakura was on her living room, packing. She didn't know whether she should eat something, which was probably the logical thing to do, or not. If she didn't eat, she'd be cranky and starving all day long, but if she did, she'd most likely throw it up, knowing that she's stuck 3 days with Sasuke. The nervousness doesn't exactly do marvels for your stomach.

The pink-haired girl decided for the latter option. It would be a lot more practical to have energy while watching Sasuke, and perhaps all the years of medical training strenghthened her stomach...Or perhaps not. She shrugged it off and went to her kitchen to make some waffles; Even if there is a risk, waffles are always worth it.

After her 'nutritional' breakfast, she cleaned the table and did the dishes, to later get snacks for the way to the Village in the Mist. She packed a water bottle and granola bars next to her clothes. She also took a plastic bag and filled it up with a few friuts; oranges, apples, bannanas, grapes... and tomatoes. Why was she packing tomatoes? Not the slightest clue.

Sakura closed her bag forcefully so that the contents wouldn't spill, and on the front pocket, she hid her secret candy stash and the picture of team 7. The picture she cherished. Sakura brushed the picture lightly with her fingertips and closed her eyes to remember those old days in which all 4 of them were like a family. An extremely disturbed one, but a family.

Kakashi was like the perverted uncle, constantly embarassing nis neices and nephews with his constant yapping. Always getting late everywhere he went. Getting serious from time to time and kicking some ass when nessesary. And most of all, caring for them to be alright,. Watching over them with a creepy smile plastered on his mask covered face.

Naruto's like the annoying little brother we all have. Overreacting to everything. Trying to beat everyone at everything, though he sucks at it. Screwing up from time to time but laugh it off with a smile that guarantees that no matter how bad your day might have been, you will flash a smile. And of course, Naruto will always protect everyone, even if he is not exactly a role model, he will protect those kids that for some reason look up to him; that kid from the Village of the Waves or Konohamaru and his friends for instance. He can make friends everywhere.

Then, there she is. Sakura. The big sister figure. Smart and sweet. Making sure that Naruto and Sasuke aren't at each other's throats every minute of the day. She is like the annoyed big sister that little kids like to piss off. Of course, her intelligence is widely hear of, and she is known as a top medic-nin. She specially keeps her team in shape by giving tactics, healing them, and playing responsible parent once in a while.

Last but not least, Sasuke. He played the role of the eldest emo-ish brother. Constantly calling everybody annoying. Introverted. Never letting anybody into his heart. Seeking for revenge, being bitchy to everyone that loves him [A/N: my appologies to Sasuke fans, but that's sort of how I picture my brother n.nU. Constantly craving for more power, determined to get what he wants. Doesn't matter who gets hurt in the process. However, he does protect his team, and though he won't admit it out in the open, he truly cares for them.

The kunoichi let out a sigh and finished packing. Her alarm clock marked 6A.M. The reason why she was up is not that she had to pack. Heck, she had packed at least 4 times already, but she kept unpacking and putting things on it's right place over and over again. [You can call her compulsive if you want!. The reason for her constant fumbling of things and lack of sleep were her nerves.

"_Why on Earth am I nervous?!"_

"_**Well, for one, you are going on a 7 day trip to the love of your life, to whom, might I add, you haven't spoken to since he got back!"**_

"_Aren't you a smart ass? First of all, I'm not in love with him anymore! I am no longer that Sakura, she died that night out on the cold night with her heart shattered."_

"_**Oh, aren't we a poet! Fine! What explanaition do you have, huh, Sherlock?"**_

"_Maybe it's just the fact that it's a mission. Yes, that's it! It's a mission! That's why i'm worried!"_

"_**Right, you have been in TONS of missions by yourself and you complete them without a drop of sweat. You've hunted criminals and then have had a 3 course meal without any 'butterflies' in your stomach. This is plainly a C-ranked."**_

"_Well, maybe I'm worried about Naruto! Have you thought of that? I want to hear you answer!"_

"_**You're just nervous about being alone with Sasuke, and the fact that you are trying so hard to deny it just proves my point!"**_

"_You know what? I'm not gonna waste my time arguing with you! I'm just worried about Naruto's well-being, and that's final!"_

"_**Whatever. You're lying to yourself and you know that!"**_

Sakura ended her conversation with her inner before she rung it's neck.

The pink-haired girl walked out of her house to find Ino and Hinata outside her house. They were peacefully and quietly waiting for Sakura to come out of her house, which would have been imposible if Naruto had been there.

"Hey, Forehead!What took you so long! Hinata and I have been waiting for 10 minutes already! Move it!" Yelled Ino.

"Ok, I will, but first, Would you mind telling me why are you yelling in front of my house at six am?" asked a slightly confused Sakura.

"Sakura-san, we just wanted to wish you good luck when you left!"Replied the Hyuuga heiress.

"That's really sweet of you! But Hinata, we've known each other for so long! You don't have to call me Sakura-san!" Sakura told the girl.

"Sorry, I guess that the manners of the people in the compound are really getting to me"

"Enough yapping! Lets go girls!" Yelled Ino and dragged her friends onto the meeting point so that they would talk while waiting for Sakura's departure.

* * *

On his side, Sasuke got up from his bed, cursing. Stupid birds, they never let you sleep. He ran a hand through his hair, which of course, looked like a chicken's butt. He got out of his room, and walked towards the kitchen. 

On his way, something on the floor caught his eye. He picked it up and stared at it. It was the same picture that Sakura was looking at. He was about to throw it away, but instead he gently placed it on a table. Then, he resumed his walk.

Once in the kitchen, he had a light breakfast which he choked like guys usually do. He left the dishes on the sink and let the water run through them while he went back to his room to pack and bathe. When he was ready, he walked down the halls of the Uchiha compound. He passed the bathroom, the living room in which his mother used o hang around, a kind smile always on her face. He also walked by Naruto's room, which was actually a desocupied room, but he asked Naruto to move in, since it was actually a big and lonely place and Naruto was, after all, his best friend. Not that he'd ever admit it.

Sasuke walked out of the compound, activating a trap jutsu so that no idiot tried to break in while he was out for the week. [Yes, its 3 days to go, 1 day to get Naruto out, and 3 days back. He walked away from the compound and headed towards the gates of Konoha, where he was to meet Sakura to part.

* * *

"Yeah, that was funny!" Said Sakura, talking to Ino and hinata next to the big gates. "And—Oh, there's Sasuke." 

Ino and Hinata turned their heads to see the Uchiha arrive. Hinata just gave him a polite smile and a meek 'Good morning', while Ino glared at him and said 'Whatever'. Neither one of the girls was exactly fond of him. Ino was still furious because of what he had done to Sakura. Hinata was slightly less angry, but she didn't really know him, so she just stuck to being polite.

Sasuke nodded at the girls, aknownledging their existence. Such a snob act made Ino angry, but she remained cool, respecting Sakura's petition.

"What are we waiting for? Lets go." He said it coldly.

Sakura sighed and hugged her friends goodbye. She mouthed them a 'wish me luck' behind Sasuke's back, which went by unnoticed. Her friends wished her luck and waved at her. She turned around and headed for the Konoha gates. Sasuke stepped out first, sighing a little bit. Then, he jumped on a tree and started leaping from branch to branch as Sakura closely followed him.

To Sasuke's surprise, Sakura had an excellent pace and didn't show any trouble keeping up with him. After a few hours, they both grew tired and decided to rest. It was getting dark anyways, and the cloak of night wasn't exactly favorable for them as it was for other shinobi, so it would be best to avoid conflict.

They put up a camp and Sasuke starded a fire while Sakura got water and scanned the area.

"Is everything safe?" The dark boy asked the kunoichi.

"Yes, Sasuke-san."Sakura Answered. This startled Sasuke.

"_Sasuke-**san**? What the hell? What happened to the -kun?"_

"_**Good question, dude."**_

"_I mind when fangirls call me Sasuke-kun, but Sakura? For crying out loud, she's on my team!"_

"_**Well, You haven't talked to her since you came back six months ago, besides, you completely ditched her on a bench 3 years ago."**_

"_I know that, you moron, but what the hell?"_

"_**Well, you broke her, she stripped her soul, gave you her heart and told you that she loves youn ad yet you left her out cold with no explenation whatsoever."**_

"_Where are you trying to get with this?"_

"_**Ok, you're slow. She lost all trust and confidence in you. -Kun is a suffix that you add to people close to you. I guess she's trying to take her distance so she doesn't get hurt anymore"**_

"_Why do you think that I'd hurt her again?"_

"_**Because you're a bastard, and you're bound to do it again." **_

"_Hn"_

"Sasuke-san? Is anything wrong?" Sakura asked, seeing as he hadn't said anything for a few minutes.

"No." He said dryly."But I should ask you the same thing."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Since I got back, you haven't spoken to me, asked me out, or even looked at me, and now you're calling me Sasuke-san? We're on the same team. I know you well enough to know that something's wrong"

Sakura's jaw dropped, but she quickly shut it, as Sasuke stared at her expectantly. Wow. THE Uchiha Sasuke was actually concerned about her?

"_**Yeah? Well too little too late!"**_

"_You know, you're too harsh sometimes"_

"_**Well, I have to be! You're too soft! Don't forgive him! If you do, he'll hurt you again!"**_

"_I don't know..."_

"_**Fine! If you won't listen to me, go with Ino's idea. You'll realiza that he's and ass and doesn't deserve forgiveness"**_

"_Lets try that theory.."_

"Sakura?"

"Oh, sorry, Sasuke-san, I was lost in my thoughts."

"Don't call me that." He snapped.

"Beg your pardon?"

"Stop that! I don't want you calling me Sasuke-san."

"I'm sorry, I won't do it again. I just thought that you hated when you were called Sasuke-kun" she said meekly.

"Hn"

"Well, um, I'm going to get changed. I'll be back in a few minutes." She said, avoiding her eyes.

"_Why does she do that?"_

"_**What thing?"**_

"_She doesn't look me in the eye and apologizes for everything"_

"_**You already have my theory. But hey, ask her something, I don't know, mak it less uncomfortable, the tension can be cut with a knife."**_

"_Hn" _

Sakura came out and sat in front of the fire. She was dressed in a pink nightgown, long sleeves and long pants, covering her pretty much completely, yet showing the curves that she had acquired through the years.

"What were they doing at the gate?" Sasuke asked out of the blue.

"You mean Ino and Hinata? They just dropped by to wish me good luck and talk a bit." she answered, her eyes fixed on the fire.

"Anything interesting?"

"Well, Ino came up with a really lame idea." She said, hiding her hands under a cloak that she had brought in case it got cold. Which it was.

"Hn?" He asked, sounding uninterested.

"She said that we should have an Icebreaker."

"A what?"

"An Icebreaker, it's sort of a game to break the tension...For example, truth or dare, or you know, stuff like that."

Sasuke just raised an eyebrow, curious. Maybe this wouldn't suck so badly after all.

* * *

Ok! 

There you go!

A 7 page long Chappie!

I'm starting to agree with Sasuke, maybe my story diesn't suck as much as I thought!

As I said before this goes to sweetKisses9, Strawbubble-Hime and empty-space. You people rock with socks!

Thank you so much for reviewing


	3. Chapter 2: Let the Games begin!

Hi there!

Strawbubble-Hime, Of course I dedicated the chapter to you and the others! If you people hadn't written anything, I swear, the story would've died! Btw, thanks for the review

And Yes, SweetKisses 9, You rock with socks! And eat cookies with Courtney Cox! Petting a Fox! You've gotta change the locks!

...Ok, That right there, was my brain exploding. Yep. That's it, chemistry ended up mutilating my brains - Or whatever was left of them anyways.-The rest of my neuron massacre was done by tv and me friends )

Well, leaving that aside, I want to thank you all. Though several people didn't review, they did put me in alerts and favorite authors. I really apreciate it! Not to be picky or anything, but i would apreciate it more if you guys reviewed. You know how I get! I jump around! And as I told empty-spaces, while jumping, I tripped with my long (GREEN!) Pyjamas and slammed my face onto the floor. Now I've got a bruise, which I wear proudly!

Those of you who have indeed written stories, you realize how hard it is sometimes, but its worthwhile when you get the reviews of people encouraging you to keep going, and that's why, from now on, I'm reviewing in every story thet I read from Now on.

Ok, now that that's off my chest...

Disclaimer: Once upon a time, I DID own Naruto... Then I fell off my bed and woke up.

* * *

**xChapter 2: Let the Games begin.x**

"Excuse me?" Sakura asked, not beliving what her ears were telling her.

"I told you to stop apologizing." Sasuke stated back, sitting on the ground and leaning on a tree, facing the fire.

"But, Sasuke-sa--"Sakura was cut off by the voice of an annoyed Uchiha.

"I told you, Do NOT call me Sasuke-san"

"You're right, so—"She was apologizing again, but stopped in the middle of the word when she saw Sasuke's eyes on her, as if saying 'Apologize-one-more-time-and-you-die'. "Ok, I won't call you Sasuke-san if it bothers you so much."

"Hn"

"Back to what you were saying... You actually think it's a good idea?!"

"Why not?" This was more like a statement than a question.

"Because, Sasuke, I mean, It's just... it's not...I don't know!" She burst in exasperation.

"It was Ino's idea. Why are you shooting it down so quickly?"

"Because..."

"Huh? I knew it, you're just like when we were Genin. I can't belive you're scared of a stupd little game..." sasuke stated smugly.

"Take that back!"She said, slightly angry. Sakura's memories drifted back to their childhood days. Days in which he would constantly call her weak, and she would fight back tears, proving his point. Not anymore. She might've grown a little distant from him, but that didn't mean that she was going to let him push her around.

"No." He said. The same smug look that he had when he teased Naruto back when the were kids.

"I said take it back!" she said, a little louder.

"No. As I said, you haven't changed at all. You're still a weak little girl" He kept on teasing, his smug smirk plastered in his face.

"Sasuke. Take. That. Back. NOW" Sakura was growing and Sasuke was startled. She had never talked to him like that. She had never dared raise her voice to him... she did change.

"What are you going to do if I don't?"

Sakura didn't reply. She slapped him. Yes. She held her hand open right on the spot that inertia had stopped her as soon as her palm had contact with Sasuke's silky (Yep, even if it was a fraction of a second, she did feel it!) and snowy skin.

Sasuke sat there, wide-eyed. His black eyes were fixed on Sakura's green ones, which were filled with anger.

"_WHAT THE HELL?"_

"_**DUDE! She just slapped you!!"**_

"_You think?!"_

"_**Don't be rude to me!"**_

"_Whatever. But seriously, She slapped me!"_

"_**To be fair, you did imply that she was weak."**_

"_I was teasing her!"_

"_**I know that, you jerk, but she remembered all the times when you called her weak when you were children"**_

"_God, Is she really THAT lame?"_

"_**Dude, SHE FRIKKING SLAPPED YOU. Where I come from, that takes guts."**_

"_I have to admit. She isn't apologizing and shows no signs of regret."_

"_**I told you. A while ago, she only did that to pretend that you're someone that she doesn't know to try and keep her distance. Understand her, she's been through a lot."**_

"_Hn"_

"_**You're an ass and you will always be one."**_

"_Right back at you"_

Sakura lowered her hand and sat back down on her spot. Sasuke hadn't yet snapped out of it. He still couldn't digest the fact that Sakura, Sakura Haruno, Sakura 'Omg, I'm-Your-biggest-fan-please-go-out-with-me' had just slapped him. If he didn't have a red mark with the shape of her hand, he would've belived that it happened.

"_**TAKE THAT YOU BITCH!"**_

"_D-did I just do that?"_

"_**Yes, dear! I'm so proud!"**_

"_But...but...I slapped him?!"_

"_**Damn right you did!"**_

"_It... He..."_

"_**He called you a weak little girl. He deserves that slap"**_

"_Oh, crap, he's standing up!"_

"_**Calm down, it's not as if he's gonna punch you"**_

"_Care to bet?"_

"_**You know? I should better go..."**_

"_What?! NO! Don't you dare!"_

"_**Stay strong! Dont let him intimidate you!"**_

"_Easy for you to say! Get back here!"_

"_**Laters!"**_

Sakura inwardly cursed at her inner. On the outside, she remained calm. She's not going to give Sasuke the satisfaction of knowing that after all this time, he still had an effect over her.

"What's wrong with you?" He asked, brushing the mark that was starting to form on his left cheek.

"You called me weak. Id you honestly think that I'd just sit there and watch you insult me yet again? How about no?" Sakura said, a bold tone in her voice.

"Hn." sasuke smirked.

"Why are you smirking?" She asked, confused.

"After all, you're not as much of a baby as I thought."

"You can bet your ass that I'm not" Sakura grew confident. Suddenly, the Great Uchiha didn't seem so intimidating anymore. Of course, he still has THE Death Glare, but he cant scare Sakura off like when they were young.

"Well, what do you say? Care to play a game or two?" Sasuke was defying her. Sakura decided not to let him win in this one.

"Sure. Your pick"

"Fine. Up for a little Truth or Dare?" Sasuke asked.

"If you go, I go."

"Excellent. Truth or Dare?"

"Dare." she said, not taking her eyes off of his.

"Oh, a bold one, huh? Let's think a little..." Sasuke kept on smirking.

"But since I'm doing a dare, you have to do the same" Sakura said, her evil mind scheeming something against Sasuke. An evil smile emerging from her lips.

"_Ok, now, THAT'S creepy!"_

"_**At least she's not slapping you nor taking her distance like before.**_

"_Yeah, but still, did you see that look in her eyes? She's scary!"_

"_**Have you seen yourself in a mirror when someone waked you up or mentions Itachi? You're not exactly Cirderella per se."**_

"_Hn."_

"_**But hey, at least she's giving you a chance to redeem."**_

"_Who says I want to redeem? I don't care what she thinks about me. She's just.."_

"_**Cut the crap, Sasuke. Of course you care."**_

"_I don't."_

"_**Uhm.. Yes, you do"**_

"_Oh, ok Mr. Smart Guy, tell me, How do I feel?"_

"_**You feel guilty as hell for what you did for her, and though you won't admit it, because, lets face it, you're a stuck up bastard, You do care what she thinks about you and it kills you to think that she hates you."**_

"_Shut up."_

"_**Here we go again, BE A MAN AND ACCEPT IT, DAMMIT!"**_

"_Go to hell"_

"_**Care to tag along?"**_

Sasuke growled at his inner. The sound caught Sakura's attention. She looked at him weirdly, he stared at her. Sakura waited, expectantly. He didn't answer.

"Did you just growl?" she asked, as if not beliving what she heard.

"No"

"Are you hungry?" She asked bluntly.

"Sort of."

"Well, while we think, would you like something to eat?" Sakura suggested. Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"I bet your bag is full of candy or those nasty protein bars. I hate both."

"Ok, first of all, be a little nicer." She actually barked at him.(A/N: not like a dog, but you know, in the 'barking orders' sense) "And second, no, I also brought friuts and tomatoes."

"Hn."

"Actually, are tomatoes a friut or a vegetable?"She asked, and then started rambling nonsense. "I goues it's juicy and all but--"

"I'll have a tomatoe, thank you very much." He more like snapped, cutting her off. It had indeed cut her off, her jaw dropped and she stared at him as if he was a green space racoon fallen into a game dimension and had to win 5500000 times to get out. ((Sorry pplz! I watched DB GT last night and that was just priceless)), again, he cocked an eyebrow inquiringly and took a bite of his tomatoe.

"What now?" He asked with an annoyed tone.

"You, Sasuke Uchiha, just thanked another human being after accepting help from her! Is this a trick?! Is that you, Naruto?! Am I trapped in a Genjutsu?! Am I dreaming?!..No, wait, I can't be dreaming, if I were, there would be a chocolate fountain nearby and the clouds would be made up of cotton candy."

"You are so weird" He stated simply.

"Thank God! You're back to your normal self, I tought you were possesed! Or sick! Or worse!"

"Hn."

"_She hasn't changed as much as we thought."_

"_**I beg to differ. However, she does care for you, she remembered your favorite food and brought some for you and.."**_

"I know what your dare will be." Sasuhe said, cutting his inner.

"Oh, really? I might have something in mind for you too..." She answered.

"There's a village, not far away. It's a tourist place. By tomorrow we will have reached it."

"So..?" Sakura was wondering where was he getting with this.

"Well, by chance, there is a festival going on."

"Get to the point! All this waiting is driving me crazy!"

"Well, I simply want to 'Make a Special Apparition'"

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"Be creative, Sakura, a few spray paint cans, kunais...You're smart...But make sure that everybody notices you" Sasuke let out the smallest evil smile.

Sakura's jaw dropped yet again, but this time, she didn't even try to hide it. Sasuke gave her a satisfied smile, combined with his arms triumphantly crossed over his chest. As soon as she regained her composture((Which took a few minutes)), she erased the surprised look from her face, replacing it with a smug smile.

"Ok, now here's YOUR dare" She said.

"Bring it on."

"Your dare will be... Oh, I don't know... How about you've got to go to the hot springs... to the ladie's section, and bathe there... ALL of the females in town will know that you're there, and have to stay for at least 4 hours"

Sasuke didn't drop his jaw. He didn't flinch. His eye started twitching like there was no tomorow. Sakura sat back, admiring her work. Oh, she would enjoy this game!

* * *

With poor, POOR Naruto...

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to insult anyone!!!! I JUST WANTED SOME RAMEN!!!"

The poor boy was undergoing torture. He had been forgiven after 18629562904 apologies, but now he had to sit through a 67 hour long festival, which constisted on sloooooowwww dancing and reading of the village's books...53 books...

* * *

I realize that Sasuke becomes OOC, but seriously, There's not much to be done with Stone-Cold Mc Freezy. ((I watch a lot of Grey's anatomy and gave sasuke a Mc label!))

and by the way, I know that the dares don't seem like much, but i thought that for starers I'd put them against what they hate; for example Sasuke's fangirls and Sakura breaking the rules. Hopefully, I'll come up with less crappy stuff.

Well, that's all folks!

See you when I update!

And please review, as I told you before, it's reallyhard writing a story and reviews make it all worthwhile, so please review! I'd really thank you!


	4. Chapter 3: Midnight Assault!

15 reviews!!!

WOHOOO!!!!

I see that you peope liked Sasuke's dare!

I R glad.

Anyways, The fact that I have gotten no flames means that my eeevil Literature teacher was wrong!

He creeped me out for no reason!

**Warning: Stupid tale-of-my-life, skip if you intend to keep your brain cells**.

-Squaky (C'est moi!) was skipping down the halls of her school in La-La land, when suddenly, she reached her classroom, and asked the teacher her grade on the test, which was unbelivable hard.-

Me: Hello, professor! Would you mind telling me how did I do in Monday's test?

Profesor: You did awfully bad! Your essay!! That was just... NO!

Me: W-What??That bad????!!!

-Enters rest of the class-

Somebody: Can you tell us the grades?

Profesor: Ok, Andrew: 43, (out of 100!), Mary: 66, Bobby: 58, and YOU! -Points at me-

Me: What?! What is it!! TELL ME ALREADY!

Profesor: 78

Class: -death glares at me.-

Me: -Sweatdrops.-

**There you go! He was wrong! You can read on now! **

Well, I'm upload the next Chappie, I was gonna write it yesterday, but I had a mass over my Grandfather's death, may he rest in peace. It has a teeeny weeny fight scene, and it will probably suck... I hope you like it! n-n

Warning: honestly, do you sincerely think that if I owned Naruto, I would be here writing fanfics?

* * *

**Icebreaking**

**xChapter 3: Midnight Assault!x**

Sasuke was still twitching.

"You better be kidding." He stated.

Sakura's smile stretched widely through her face. Anybody could tell that she was having the time of her life. She stood from her place and walked toward Sasuke, to then sit down and start poking him mockingly.

"Sorry! That's your dare! You can either take it... or lose..." She said, Knowing fully well that the Uchiha pride would never allow him to walk out of a dare.

"_**I always thought that Itachi was evil... Until I met Sakura Haruno."**_

"_Did she lose her mind!? Wasn't she the 'I'm-not-going-to-let-anyone-else-have-you-for-that-reason-I-stopped-being-friends-with-Ino' type of girl?!"_

"_**Well, In all fairness, Kakashi DID say that she changed."**_

"_I didn't think she had changed THAT much."_

"_**Yeah, not only emotionally...She' hotter now.."**_

"_Keep those thought to yourself. Ok?"_

"_**You know I'm right"**_

"Well Sasuke, if you're kind enought to excuse me, I'm gonna read for a while." Sakura said, the smile not leaving her face while she stood up to reach her bag.

"H-hot springs?¿F-fangirls?¿F-four hours?" Sasuke actually STUTTERED trying to snap out of it.

Sakura let down a tiny smile as she heard him. Music for her ears. She was already sitting down in a cozy spot next to the fire, book in her hands as she ate an apple.

After various minutes, Sasuke finnaly realized how wrong this picture was. Again, he put on his cold façade, and looked up at her. She noticed this and looked up from her book, inquiringly.

"Can I help you?" She asked sarcastically.

"You shouldn't have changed your clothes." Sakura raised an eyebrow. "If anything happens, it's not going to be easy to move around in pyjamas"

"Really? Since when do you care?" She asked.

"I don't. But Tsunade would't be happy if she knew that her apprentice was foolish enough to trip on her own pyjama pants ((Personal experience! TT)) and the enemy got her." Sasuke smirked as he saw Sakura's reaction, looking away in a pout.

"Fine. I'll change."

"Hn"

Sasuke smirked. Sakura stood up and changed her clothes ((NOT IN FRONT OF HIM!)) and came back. She sat down and tried to resume her reading, however, she felt that she was being stared at and looked up, just to meet Sasuke's deep eyes still staring at her.

"What now?" She asked, slightly annoyed yet lushed.

Sasuke hadn't realized that he was looking at her. He turned his gaze, and before Sakura could say anything, they heard a noise.

"What was that?" Sakura whispered as low as she could, silently walking towards her bag and grabbed a kunai.

"We're not alone." He answered sternly.

Just then, 3 ninjas from the village hidden in the mist came out, all standing in tree branches. Both Sakura and Sasuke were in their fighting stances, Sasuke smirking as he hadn't had a good fight in over 6 months.

"They're from Konoha, get them!" The one that appeared to be the leader ordered.

"I'll take the girl" Another one said. Sakura let out a small smile. These people have no idea who they're dealing with.

"Fine, we'll take the Uchiha boy, that girl souldn't be any trouble." said the third one.

Sakura clenched her fists. They were underestimating her. Never underestimate Sakura Haruno.

Sasuke was ready to fight. He knew that he could take on aboth ninjas. But he was worried about Sakura, she may be a burden.

Sakura took on her adversary. He jumped off the branch ready to punch Sakura, she easily dodged him and grabbed his fist, using her inhumane strengh to smash him against the ground. Then, she slammed her fist right on his sternum, causing damage to his heart. He grabbed her wrist and kicked her away, to then try and stand up and throw a bunch of kunai at her. Sakura landed on her feet and dodged most of the kunai headed for her. She couldn't avoid all of them and got cuts in her upper arm, lower back, and a kunai piercing her stomach. She ignored the pain and charged against him, hitting him plainly and forcefully right above the heart, stopping it fully.

Sasuke, on his side, was fighting one of the ninja, hitting him acurrately adn repeatedly in the upper torso. The other one was nowhere in sight. Sasuke constantly looked over his shoulder to either check on Sakura or to find the ninja. None of them were around.

"Keep your mind on the fight, lover boy!" Screamed the ninja before slamming Sasuke against a tree. The other ninja ran behind him ready to punch him in the face, but Sakura came into the battle and kicked him right where it hurts with an amazing strengh ((I HAD to do that)) Unfortunately, the recipient of Sakura's attack turned into a log. A replacement Jutsu.The real Mist-nin attacked Sakura from the back, trying to kick her. She skillfuly took his leg and threw him against a tree.

Sasuke was now more focused on his fight, seeing as the ninja was being taken care of, he could easily concentrate. He hit the ninja straight in the face, and sent him flying through the air. As the ninja was falling to the ground, he jumped and reached his level, then kicked him straight in the gut, accelerating the fall. As soon as the ninja hit the ground, Sasuke pierced his chest with kunai, ending his life.

Sakura's fight had been taken to the tree branches. She was losing blood quickly and her eyes weren't able to focus completely due to fatigue and loss of blood.

"_**Damn! We should've rested!"**_

"_We need to end this now before we either pass out or get killed!"_

"_**No shit, Sherlock!"**_

"_Ok, I'll figure something out!"_

"_**Where is that jerk (Sasuke) when you need him?!"**_

As if responding to her inner's call, Sasuke came to back up Sakura, and hit the ninja square in the gut. Sakura leaped from branch to branch, reaching their enemy and giving him the final blow in the neck. After this, she lost her balance and couldn't step on the branch and fell.

Sasuke got to the ground as fast as he could, and caught her 2 feet before she reached the ground. The blood loss had affected her reflexes and she could barely talk, but she managed to say something.

"Do you have to scare the crap out of me? Couldn't you just catch me a little higher?" ((She wasn't complaining or anything, she was just mocking)).

"Nah, it's no fun if you're not scared." Sakura's eyes must be wrong, did she just see Sasuke smile? She didn't have time to think about it, a few seconds later, she was out cold.

* * *

-Back with Naruto.- 

Naruto was finally free from the first of many cultural ceremonies of the village. He had some time to walk around before having to return ON TIME to the house where he was staying. As he walked, he spotted special shade of purple. It was just a flower, but that flower made him think about someone.

"I wonder how Hina-chan is doing.." He wondered out loud. Just then, he tripped with someone. They both fell onto the floor., Naruto was rubbing his head and ready to scream at whomever it was.

"Look where you're going, you.." Naruto stopped when he saw who it was.

It was Hanabi. She stood up and looked at Naruto like he was a freak.

"Hanabi! What are you doing here!?"

"Came to visit some relatives, you?"

"Nothing... Hehe, I was just walking around" He laughed nervously.

"Really? Then why were you daydreaming about my sister?"

Naruto immediately flushed and tried to cover his words.

"I was not! She's my friend and I was wondering how she's doing!"

"Really?" She asked with a sly smile. "Then why are you blushing?"

"Because... I ate something spicy! Yeah! That's it!" He lied. Unfortunately for him, Hanabi wasn't born yesterday.

"Uh-huh... So you like my sister?"

"No!...I----NO!---I---- fine, I like her." He confessed as he realized that all this lying wasn't getting him anywhere.

"Hm.. I'm sure that Sister would appreciate me telling her..."

"NO! Don't tell her!"

Hanabi let out an evil smile. Naruto was so dense he didn't realize that Hinata felt the same way towards him. But since she is such a nice person, she would play matchmaker for Hinata and Naruto. Who knows? This could be interesting...

"Fine, I won't tell her... but I belive we should talk... take me to lunch and we'll talk."

The fact that Hanabi is going to help doesn't mean that she wasn't going to take advantage of the situation.

* * *

-Back with our heroes..- 

Sakura finally had woken up. She had bandages on her arm, leg, abdominal area and upper chest area. The bandages on her chest were probably to heal her clavicle, which probably broke during battle, but to bandage her that way, someone had to remove her shirt...

She looked all around and found Sasuke sitting in front of the fire, watching the logs burn. Sakura sat up and Sasuke realized she was awake.

"You've gotten better." He admitted "Those nins were from the highest ranks."

"Thanks." Sakura was dumbfounded. First, he smiled, then he saved her and now he was complimenting her?! WTF!?

"Your injuries were pretty bad, so I tried to stop the bleeding, but you're a medic-nin, right?"

"Yeah...Um... Thanks for the help." And she started healing her wounds.

"If I hadn't Tsunade would chewed my ass off"

"_**He can't even take a thank you!"**_

"_He actually cares?"_

"_**Of course not! You heard! It's just si that Tsunade won't yell at him!"**_

"_I can't belive he cares.."_

"_**Are you even listening to me?!"**_

"_That is so nice of him!"_

"_**Great, Welcome, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to Sakura's Idiotic state! By this point, you can do just about anything, and she'll still think that you're a nice person and dance around flowers! I am your hostess, inner Sakura!" Her inner said with an extremely sarcastic tone.**_

Sakura grabbed her blanket and sat next to him, facing the fire. They sat there, silently, both staring at the fire, peacefully, except for the war they were both fighting against their inners.

"_**I told you! You care!"**_

"_I don't."_

"_**Yes you do! You saved her! Sasuke and Sakura, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"**_

"_Shut up"_

"_**First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Sasuke with a baby carriage!"**_

"_Ok, YOU'RE DEAD!" Sasuke told his inner and then started chasing him around in the depths of his mind."_

Sakura, in the meantime, was still trying to convince herself that Sasuke cares for her. Her inner tried to shoot her down, but wasn't able, until Sakura started thinking clearly.

"_Do you think that he'll do the same as last time?"_

"_**Finally! You came back to your senses! Of course he'll do that again!"**_

"_Why?"_

"_**I don't know, maybe has to do with the fact that he's a selfish ambitious jerk who cares about nobody but himself"**_

Before both of them could continue their arguments, they heard a cracking sound, the tree against which Sasuke had been slammed, was breaking (Yes, after all this time)), but Sakura wasn't fully healed yet, so Sasuke grabbed her bridal style and saved her from danger.

Luckily for both of them, the tree missed their camp and things, but the fire wasn't that lucky. They stared at the fallen tree for a few moments, and then realized that Sasuke hadn't put Sakura down. They both blushed very slightly and looked away as he put her down gently.

Sasuke's inner smiled in satisfaction. Sakura's inner pouted.

* * *

Well! There you go! 

Chapter 3!

I know the fight scene sucked, but it served it's purpose. Sasuke does care! Wohoo!

By the way, someone should tell Hinata tht if she wants to stop being shy, she should write story! Haven't you noticed how at the beggining I was all "Um... I hope you like it... but if you dont, its ok.. and um.." remember? And now I even make jokes! ((Bad jokes, but jokes nonetheless))

Besides, I decided to add NaruHina, though slightly. And if someone wants another couple back in Konoha, I'd be glad to include it! Just say the word!

Well, thanks for reading! See you next chapter!

Ps: You know SK9? That's actually a pretty good idea! I like it! Do you mind if I.. er... "Borrow it"?

And yes, i'm reading your story! Its really good, but i haven't been able to read on cuz my cousing got married, I had a class, a walk for kids with cancer and i'm writing this as i blow my hair for a party but I promise I'll read and review! Cuz you're squishable ((don't worry! It's a good thing!)) and you were the first person to review!


	5. Chapter 4: Troubles? Not Really

You people rock!!

I'm so happy!

Wohoo!

I'm glad you consider it and unsucky story, and that you keep reading and actually wait for me to update!

Here's my reviewers..

**C.A.M.E.O**** 1 and only**: Hehe, I figured you people muight like the Hanabi evilness. Glad you did.

**Empty-spaces**: No sweat. I'm pretty much over it, he actually died last year and it was a rememberance mass. Thanks for caring! And I'm glad that the fight scene didn't suck, I'll try to make it better though

**Helena xx3**: Glad to hear that those jokes didn't tear your brain cells! XD I tend to have that effect on people. Oh well! At least they laugh! Thanks for the comment of the fight scene, it's my first time writing and I'm glad you liked it. And the title and story? Came up with it a saturday night while I waited for a friend to come over! Inspiration can hit you anytime!

**SweetKisses9**: Yay! Sorry if it was short! I had an EVIL chemistry thingy to prepare... EEEVIL!

**PrincessLazyPants**: Hehe. Actually, I thought the whole Naruto-Hanabi scene in the spot! Let's see what I come up woth to keep it going!

**Sakurapearl222**: I'm on it! Glad yopu like it )

**Maripas**: My squeeshee thingy! **squeeshes** She gets it ;)

**kareleifury:** Thanks! That's actually one of the greatest things I've heard so far! I'm glad that it's not predictable.((Like the movie Eragon? 10 minutes after it stardted, my friend and I could tell you the rest of the movie)) and sure! I'll throw Kiba in! Do you want him in any specific couple? Or just annoying people?

**Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet**: I thought so. It's hard for me to shut up. But you're right! From no on, I'll scan the parts before I update and shove it all at the end so peopkle can read peacefully. Thanks for the honesty, I apreciate it. Btw, I was actually worried that they were changing feelings too fast. Thanks again!

Btw, remeber my evil english teacher? He called me fat! And narcisist!TT ((Actually he just did it to prove a point and then took it back.. but still!))

One more thing, if you're getting annoyed by my author's note before every chapter and my silly rambling, let me know, ok?

**Disclaimer**: Right, I own Naruto... and you came out of a mental institution...

* * *

**IceBreaking**

**xChapter 4: Troubles! Not really..x**

-In Konoha-

Ino was leaning on the table of the café, bored. Since sakura left the day before, she had no one to bother. Since Naruto wasn't there, nothing interesting was happening, and all she could do was wait. And wait. And wait...God, she hates waiting.

"I'm going crazy here!"

Hinata looked up from the book she was reading at the other side of the table. She gave Ino an inquiring look.

"There is absolutely NOTHING to do!" she said, exasperated. "I'm going to go crazy!!"

"You're GOING to? Sorry Ino, You're allready there!" Kiba came from behind to bother her. Ino frowned and looked back at Kiba.

"What do you want?" She spat angrily.

"You said it yourself, woman! There's nothing to do."He said, the same exasperated tone took over his voice as he grabbed a chair and sat down.

Hinata took a deep breath. There's no way in hell that she'd be able to resume her reading with her two friends here, and knowing Kiba's infatuation with bothering people and Ino's hot temper, this was a time bomb.

"Hey Ino.."

"What?"

"Nothing." A sheepish smile adorned his lips. "Hey, want to see something cool?"

Ino raised an eyebrow, but Hinata just shivered. No way this is good.

"Give it a sec..." He answered, and put a hand next to his ear, as if to hear better.

Soon enough, they both knew what this was about... A loud yell came from across town, bassically destroying any poor victim's ears. The scream came from Tsunade. Ino's and Hinata's eyes widened along with kiba's smile.

"What did you do?" Hinata asked. Couldn't have been small, for Tsunade was screaming bloody murder.

"Nothing... Maybe she just...'Misplaced' her sake along with her money..." He smiled. Everybody knew about Tsunade's addiction for gambling and alcohol.

Ino smiled. "Gotta hand it to you... How'd you break in without anyone noticing?"

"You know. The usual. First I tricked the guards with a genjutsu, made them belive that we were under attack. Then, I payed off a ew kids to run around and make noise so that Tsunade would have to go shush them because she's hungover. Then, I silently entered while she was chasing those kids. I grabbed the money which was sure to be out, since she just came from a bussiness meeting, and according to my sources, those 'meetings' don't occur in the middle of the morning, so she was obviouslygambling and didn'0t have the caution to put it away. Finally, I took the sake that Akamaru traced all over the room, took it, and ran like hell."

Kiba finished off with a proud smile on his face, a pretty impressed look in Ino's and a sigh from Hinata.

"Kiba, you shouldn't be doing these things, you might get caught."

"Who's going to catch me?"

Ino laughed. Kiba wondered.

"It's a shame how you're actually really smart and skillful, but you waste it on idiotic things." A voice from behind Kiba came, making a chill run down his spine.

"Kurenai-sensei."Kiba said and then swallowed hard. "I-I-I was talking about... err..."

"Don't even try, Kiba." She cut him off.

"Told you so." Hinata said, she sighed one more time and returned to her book.

* * *

-At Mist-

Hanabi ate happily her dumpling. Naruto, on the other hand, looked at her, anime tear falling from his eyes.

"What's wrong now?"

"Hanabi, do you have any idea of how many of those you've had already?"

"Umm...I'd say about... dunno, 14?"

"You're off by a few... try 45"

"Oh... Well! I'm enjoying them!" she said with an 'innocent' smile.

"That was my Ramen money for when I got back.." He said, tears continue to fall.

"Oh, well... See it as a favor!"

"Usually, you're not blaickmailed into a favor, Hanabi."

"No, I'm doing you a favor! Since you can't eat ramen, you won't get fat, and it will be easier to run, and you won't get killed easily!" She said with an evil smile.

"I don't get fat!"

"Fine, if you want to see it as me being evil... I'll tell my sis... along with some other things..."

"Thank you Hanabi for saving me friom myself" He said, forced. It sounded like when you tell a 4yeared-old to say thank you robbotically.

"I'm here for you!" She said, with the evilest smile until that moment. Then, she whispered inaudibly; "I have to take care of my future in-law, don't I?"

"Did you say anything?"

"Nope-de-dope!" She smiled sheepishly.

* * *

-Finally, with our dearest couple..-

Sakura had fallen asleep outside of the tent, while having a nice chat with Sasuke, she finally gave in to the deep realms of morpheus.

"She's asleep..." Sasuke finally said, and watched his partner's sleeping figure. He figured that if she stayed outside, she'd freeze or catch a cold.

"_I should get her to the tent."_

"_**Be sure not to wake her!"**_

"_True, she must have a temper."_

"_**No. but she looks so cute when she sleeps!"**_

"_I'm starting to think that you're Gay."_

"_**First of all, you dimwit, if I was gay, how do I find Sakura incredibly irresistible? And second, if I'm gay, then you're gay! Cuz I am you!"**_

"_Do you ever shut up?"_

"_**Nah, not really.."**_

Sasuke sighed and sheltered Sakura in her tent. If she got sick, she'd probably have a temper, and knowing Sakura, hell will rise if she's angry, so it's better to avoid it. He was about to step out, when she heard her mumbling in her sleep.

"Please don't go..." She said in her sleep.

Sasuke perked up his ears. Was she seeing anybody?

"Please...stay...Sasuke..."

He felt as if he was being stabbed. She was weeping in her sleep because of him. A familiar sense of guilt filled him. He remembered that night. The night he left Konoha. The image that stayed burnt into his memories, was Sakura's face. The pain reflected on her. A pain that he had felt.

He silently walked out, leaving her to her sleep. Sasuke went out for a stroll, trying to chase this guilt feeling away.

Why was he feeling guilty?

What on earth is going on? He doesn't care about her. She's just a teamate. Sure, they weren't as close as Kakashi, Naruto and him were, but it's normal, she was a fangirl.

So why did it make him angry that he had caused this?

He put up his pace and returned to the resting site, waklking faster and faster, as if trying to run away from the truth.

An evident truth.

He cares about her.

* * *

Next morning, Sakura woke up feeling renewed. Thanks to her medical training, she was able to heal herself and with that rest, her chakra was a tad lower than it's average levels. She changed cloths and walked out of the tent, just to find Sasuke, cooking something.

"Um... Hi" She said, confusion evident in her voice.

"Hn"

"Are you... cooking?" she said in disbeleif.

"When I was with Orochimaru, I had to learn to cook or I'd starve."

"Oh.." She stiffled a laugh .

"What?" He asked when he saw her expresion.

"Nothing.."

He looked at her weirdly.

"_Hahahaha!"_

"_**Seriously! What's so funny?"**_

"_I pictured Sasuke all housewife-y with a cute pink apron!"_

"_**HAHAHAHAHA!!!! Omg! I'm not sure if that's disturbing or funny!"**_

"_A bit of both, I'd say"_

Sasuke looked back at the fish that he was cooking, and Sakura looked at him sweetly, he looked up at her once again and gav her an inquiring look.

"Sorry. It's just that... I remembered the first Chunin exam, the day we decided to rest... remember? Naruto would junp off a cliff into the water, while you caught fish with your kunai and I got the logs." A melancholic smile was drawn on her face.

Sasuke's guilty feeling was back.

He looked away once again, and decided to change the subject.

"Ready to accomplish your dare?"

Sakura blinked various times.

"You didn't forget, did you?" He said, a smirk drawing in his face. "The festival.."

"I-I- I thought that you were kidding!" She lied, actually, she was only hoping that he'd forget all about it.

"Nope. You're not getting out of this one."

"But...but! We have to get Naruto! That's right! We can't waste any time!" She said, releived that she found an excuse.

"That won't be a problem."

Sakura stiffened. "Why do you say that?"

"Since it's festival times, we can't leave the town anyways, we have to cross a bridge, which is closed at that time." He said. He had thought this out in his insomnia attack.

Next, they remained silent, the onlything to be heard where the logs burning, and sakura's whisper.

"Crap."

* * *

Well people!

There you go!

I'm pretty syure that this one is author note free in the story... If I missed one, sorry! I'll be more careful next time!

Well, as asked, included Kiba and a little piece on how's Konoha by now, I think I'll write about the three scenarios on the upcoming chapters; so that you know what's up with Naruto, Hanabi, the people at Konoha and sasuke and Sakura!

I can only assume that you were expecting the dare fullfillment, sorry if you're dissapòinted! Originally, i was going to put it, but it slipped my mind as I wrote on and on. I hope it's not too short and that you like it!

Thanks to all my reviewers and readers! You people mean the world to me!

Ps: I wrote a oneshot, in case you feel like reading something fluffyly clichè. It's called C'est la vie. I entitled it that cuz... who knows? I'm seeing if I make it a serioes of one shots.


	6. Chapter 5: Funky Town!

Hi!

I know what's on youre mind; "Wasn't this that psyco chick who updates every effing week?"...

Well... on the bright side, I'm still a psyco chick! D -crickets- Ok, I'm sorry

You'll see, I just finished school (latin schedule thingy) and had TONS of things to hand in, help my friend get through the year (I rock!! She passed!) and help people study for bimestrals. And... I read a book D! But fear not, that wasn't the reason I took long, for I read the book in three days, and I'm probably going to write a fanfic about it. The book is called "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer. And I'm thinking about adapting it to Naruto. I'm leaving a summary at the end and you tell me if I should go through with it.

I want to thank you all for reading and reviewing.

It really makes the brain-squeeze worthwhile.

If it makes any difference, I'm sorry!

Thank you to everybody who gives me advice and stuff, really helps! D

and the critiques, I apreciate them too, because those help me improve a lot.

And I would like to make some clarification, seeing as people have doubts;

**Sakura's Dare**: Sasuke dared Sakura to interrupt the whole parade. The main reason is Sakura's fear to breaking the rules and the fact that she doesn't like to be in the spotlight.

**Sasuke's Dare**: I don't think I need to remind you... I'll do it anyways:D Sasuke has to go into the female hot springs and stay there for at least 4 hours. He can't punch anyone, and all the female population will be aware and welcome to the hot springs.

**Naruto's Rescue**: Nauto can't leave the Village of the Mist. He can't go back to Konoha. And he's being Tortured with all the traditional thingies. He's In PAIN! Imagine yourself in his shoes!

**Hinata & Hanabi:** Hinata is in Konoha. Hanabi is visiting some relatives in Mist, but Hinata stayed home.

Well, any questions, I'll be more than glad to answer them!

**Disclaimer**: do I have to say it again? Isn't it painful enough just to know in my heart that I don't own Naruto?

&&

* * *

**xIceBreakingx**

**xChapter 5: Funky Townx**

Night passed. Sasuke and Sakura slept soundly with no trouble except for a pretty little squirrel scaring the crap out of poor Sakura.

Morning broke on the woods, awakening both Shinobi.Sakura stayed in her tent and changed her clothes unaware that Sasuke was already awake. She left her tent and found the remaining Uchiha staring dully at the river infront of them. ((A/N : Imagine the scene like the one of the chunin exams.)) He seemed deeply concealed in thoughts, and she didn't want to be the one to put his feet back on earth. She turned around, ready to walk into the woods, a morning stroll.

"Where are you going so early?" Asked the raven haired Shinobi, not a tint of interest in his voice.

"Oh,-I was just going for a walk." Answered the pink haired girl, taken back by her partner's agility to detect her. She hadn't made a sound and her chakra was masked to avoid any unwelcome visitors finding them.

"Hn." His response was simple, one-syllabic, and familiar.

"That's so stupid." She said out loud.

"What did you say?" Sasuke asked looking back at her, not wanting to belive his ears were teling him. Did Sakura just insult him?

_Did she just call me stupid?_

_**Duuuuuuudee!!! She's never done that! What the hell?! **_

_What is wrong with her?!_

_**Outer dude, calm down. Ok? Don't do anything rash, I don't think she meant it. **_

_I'm going to--_

_**NO. You're not doing anything! You hear me, outer dude? DON'T. TOUCH. HER.**_

_Give me a reason._

_**Well, actually, I have 2.**_

_Fire away._

_**Reason #1: You deserve it.**_

_Excuse me?!_

_**Reason #2: You touch her, and EVERY ONE -Including me- is going to beat the crap out od you for touching my sweet and lovely cherry blossom.**_

_You are so Gay._

_**Right back at you**_.

Sasuke was looking sternly at Sakura while having his inner dialogue. She was doing exactly the same thing.

_HOLY CHOCOLATE ON A MARSHMALLOW! DID I SAY THAT OUT LOUD!?_

_**Ok, Honey, I know that it this "new you" thing includes having guts, but you know, calling one of the strongest shinobi - not to mention short tempered – calling him stupid, is not bold; IT'S SUICIDAL!**_

_No shit Sherlock!_

_**Ok, calm down, breathe..**._

_That doesn't work!_

**_No, I'm saying breathe while you can, cuz he's gonna make sure you never take another breath_.**

_Well, great! Don't quit your day job to work as a counselor or anything,. Because you suck!_

_**You know, that hurts. Every time you say that, a little piece of me dies...**_

_You are so lame._

_**I'm you, aren't I?**_

As soon as both ninjas were done snapping back at their inners and set their feet back in then ground, the stared at each other. No argument. No screaming. Just staring...By God, that's creepy.

"Did you just call me stupid?" Sasuke asked, his voice low and grave.

Sakura was paralyzed. Didn't have to do with the fact that she insulted her ex-love, but she insulted someone a lot stronger that her. David and Goliath, part II, sadly, David won't be so lucky.

She actually didn't mean to call Sasuke stupid. She meant that the whole concept of 'Hn' is stupid, but try to explain that ithout sounding like a weak little girl.

"So what if I did?" Sakura asked defiantly. She was no longer in control of what she said. That sort of came out on it's own. It wasn't her inner, cuz she was hiding somewhere in her mind. This was all her. And her guts.

Sasuke was dumbfounded. What the hell happened to little Sakura? Well, at leat she's stronger... He found himself accepting it, and, -Not that he wil EVER admit it- liked it.

Sasuke smirked. When sakura saw this reaction, her eyes opened as wide as plates and she tried her hardest to avoid her jaw from dropping. She almost succeded.

"After all this time, it's good to see that you make a pretty decent partner." He said, walking away, packing the tent.

"I...-- what the---.. Gleba..." Sakura mumbled. Luckily Sasuke hadn't heard.

_**Get a grip of yourself dammit!**_

_What?_

_**'I.---gleba' What the hell is a gleba anyways!?**_

_It's a part of the mushroom..._

_**Ok, Albert Einstein, now move it and quit playing dumb!**_

Sakura snapped back into reality and fixed up her tent, of course, sasuke was finished a few minutes earlier than her, so he waited, thinking of this and that. Wasn't long until she was finally done and they could leave. Town was a few miles away. It took them a few hours to get there.

_Isn't she tired?_

_**If she is, she's a pretty good actress... Hm...I should write that down on the "Things Sakura does well" list**_

_She has a lot of stamina...Wait, the WHAT list?!_

_**Nothing...**_

Both Shinobi entered town inconspicously and soon found a hotel. Mist was yet farther away, and this was the town in which they were told to stay. They arrived to the hotel at ease and spoke to the secretary.

"Welcome to Fumbari Hot Springs Hotel. How can I help you?" Asked a cheerful young woman. She had light blue and long hair, which contrasted with her reddish eyes. "My name is Pilika, and I will serve you." She continued.

"We're Shinobi from Konohagure, would like to stay here for the night." Sakura was the one to speak, as she had more manners that our dear one-syllable-response friend.

"Of course! What would you like?" Asked Pilika, chirpy and sweet.

"2 bedrooms, near each other, if possible." Said sakura. Sasuke just looked outside and stared at the people passing by.

"I'm extremely sorry, since it's the carnival season, we only have one bedroom." Pilika said, still chirpy. Sasuke twiched invisibly. How can anyone be so happy all the tim? What is she? A robot?

"Better be kidding..." Sakura mumbled. She turned and looked at Sasuke "What do we do now? The rest of the hotels are going to be about the same."

"Take the stupid bedroom. I don't mind sharing it as long as you don't rape me." He said dryly. Sakura ignored the comment. She wasn't in the mood to fight with him.

"We'll take it, thank you very much" Sakura spoke to the cashier, Pilika, one more time. Her face was still chirpy. This creeped Sasuke out. Pilika walked towards a hall, signaling them to follow her. They both did. Soon, they found themselves in front of the room where they'd be staying. Pilika just smiled cheerfully and walked back to her position in the counter. Sasuke stared at her and Sakura noticed.

"Why are you staring at her?" Sakura asked him bluntly. Sasuke sort of reacted and answered her absentmindedly

"She's so creepy..." He said, but then realized that he looked like an idiot and collected himself. "That girl is too cheerful. It's weird."

"Maybe you're weird. Haven't you thought that not everybody has a stick up their ass?Some people actually enjoy being happy, you know?" Sakura said. She was getting pretty good at this and was quicly losing fear of her former teammate.

"Hn."

Sakura rolled her eyes and left her things in the room. Luckily, it was a two bed, so they didn't have to have the "who gets the bed" disscusion.

"You know? I think I'll go out for a while.." Sakura said. She didn't want to spend so ,much time in the room. After all, this was a touristic town, so there is no point in wasting time lying in the hotel bed.

"Whatever you say, just be sure to come back for the parade tonight." He said, a light smile forming on his lips, knowing that this drives her nuts. "I just want to make sure that you're not backing out."

"Don't worry, I'm not." Said Sakura. He wants to play this little game? She'll play his little game. "As long as you don't forget YOUR dare."

Sasuke flinched, and felt relieved when Sakura didn't react. She was with her back facing him, so she probably didn't see him. What he didn't know, is that she had a large smile plastered on her face as she walked out the bedroom door.

&&&

* * *

"Kiba... How many times are we going to go through this?" Asked Kurenai, visibly annoyed.

"Well, you know, it wasn't my fault" He tried to defend himself.

"Oh, really? I'm dying to hear it." Kurenai said with sarcasm.

"My mom never hugged me when I was little" Kiba said with a sheepish smile. Ino laughed at Kiba's so called 'excuse'. If there is something you can always trust Kiba to do, is amuse you.

"What am I going to do with you?" Kurenai wondered, rubbing her temples.

"C'm on! It was just a joke! Ha ha?" Kiba tried to slip out of this one. He couldn't.

"You want to laugh? Ok, you'll laugh a lot when I tell you that you have to teach grade school at the Academy." Kureinai said, a smile adorning her lips as she saw the dog-boy's expression change dramatically.

Ino laughed loudly. Everyone heard it.

"...And Ino is going to help you." Kurenai added. Ino stopped her laughter immediatly and looked disbeliefingly at the blackhaired woman.

"That was a joke, right? Are there hidden cameras around? Is Ashton Kutcher going to pop out of nowhere?! TELL ME THAT YOU'RE KIDDING!" Ino freaked out. Kiba smiled. It might be fun after all.

&&

* * *

Meanwhile, Naruto was in a corner, fetal position, rocking himself while mumbling incoherences.

"E-E-Evil girl... Lots of dumplings... Clothes... Books... Mommy!!."

"You're such a baby... All we did was go shopping and to the library..." Said Hanabi.

"For 3 hours!!! And you spent ALL my money!! And you made me stay in a library waiting, and waiting... and waiting... in silence... I DON'T LIKE SILENCE!!"

"I'm having SO much fun!" whispered Hanabi.

&&

Sakura walked down the street buying a few things for the trip. Food, weapons...  
Anything that might be needed. Walking from stand to stand, Sakura felt observed.

"Hey, pretty lady... Someone as cute as you shouldn't be alone..." It was a big man, crooked smile, dark and oily hair, disgusting skin...He was pretty fat, and his cheeks barely allowed you to see thse tiny round eyes.

This man made Sakura shiver. Her face twisted to show her disgust. The man smiled widely.

"Pretty girls shouldn't be alone..."

"I can take care of myself." She stated dryly, wanting to walk away and avoid a conflict. The man grabbed Sakura's hand with his chubby, sausage like fingers. Her nauseas grew by the second.

"Where are you going now?" He asked. Sakura tried to release her hand from the grasp. Her attempts were futile.

"I have somewhere to be, and that doesn't concern you" She said in between her gritted teeth. This man was strong.

"Now, now, you should respect your elders a little more...How about you come around and we get something to eat? A little girl like you shouldn't be alone. Someone could come and rob you.. Weak little girls need protection from stronger men."

That hit a nerve. Sakura was pissed. No more Miss Nice Lady. She pumped chakra into her right foot and kicked the man straight in the gut, aiming for the gut. Due to her monstrous strengh, the man soon crashed against a wall, breaking it.

"Bastard." She said, and with that, she began walking away. Big mistake. Rule #1 when fighting; Don't turn your back on the enemy.

The man took her once again by the wrist. Sakura slammed her fist against his face, again, he flung back, but immediately caught himself. This was no normal citizen. He stood once again. A stupid grin plastered on his face. VERY CREEPY

"What the hell do you want from me?" She asked him. The man didn't answer, he just smiled. Sakura was creeped out. This man didn't seem affected by her kicks or punches. Not that she'd ever say it, but if no one came soon enough, she'd be pretty much screwed.

Sakura did the only thing that she could. She kept on fighting. Sakura Haruno never goes down without a fight.

She immediately started attacking him, using a technique similar to the one thatthe Hyuugas use, of course, much less effective, but useful nonetheless. She pumped small amonts of chakra into his sistem, trying to shut down his muscles, she had learned this from Hinata, seen as she had grown so close to her in the past years and she knew her feelings for Naruto and Naruto's feelings for her, but she had promised to butt out of their relationship.

Her chakra was low. She had fought those ninjas from sound a day before and her shoulder hadn't yet healed completely, and she hadn't the amount of rest needed to fill correctly her reserves, hence, she was in disadvantage. The running hadn't helped either. Keeping up with Sasuke isn't exactly cakewalk.

Back to the fight, she kept on kicking the man, but eachtime, her punches felt weaker and weaker. Her arm started hurting whilst the wound from the night before opened. The blood was starting to be seen through her shirt.

_**This is bad...**_

_No kidding, now what?_

_**I don't know...That's weird...**_

_What is?_

_**Look around, everyone is still walking like there is nothing wrong. **_

_You're right...Something's up here..._

_**Aren't you a detective. Doesn't matter. Get on with the fight. This guy's kicking your ass.**_

_Thanks for the support. _

Sakura was quickly drained. The man seemed unaffected. He dissapeared and appeared in front of her, startling her. Quickly, le kicked Sakura in the ribs and broke 4 of them. She flew back and hit against a wall. The man was charging towards her and she closed her eyes waiting for the blow that never came.

What she did hear, was the sound of chirping birds and opened her eyes, just to find Sasuke chidori-ing the man. The man fell to the floor inmobile for a few minutes. Sasuke confirmed his death and walked hurriedly towards Sakura, lifting her off the ground. He had a concerned look on his face and took Sakura to the hotel.

"What the hell was that all about?" He asked her, after he leyed her on the bed and gave her a few medications so she could heal herself, for her chakra was too low.

"I don't know. It was really weird. That guy just grabbed my hand and I tried to fight him off...I don't understand why my chakra was so low" She spoke.

"What did he want with you?" He asked, ignoring her monologue.

"I'm not sure. He just said ' A pretty girl shouldn't be by herself' over and over and then he stopped talking and smiled like a creep" Sakura explained while applying the medicine Sasuke had given her on her broken ribs. He had his back to her to give her some privacy.

"That's weird" He stated.

"However..." Sakura starded, removing her shirt completely to get a better look to her shoulder wound. Sasuke's ears perked up, he still faced the window in the other side of the room.

"I noticed something strange..." She said. "No one really payed attention. Usually when there is a fight, people gather around... but no. everyone just smiled and kept on walking."

Sasuke nodded. He had seen those people. She was right. That was odd.

"That reminded me of that girl, Pilika, was it? You know, the girl from the counter downstairs... she kept on smiling and speaking... It was pretty bizzare, but I didn't really pay attention to it t first..."

Sasuke thought of that girl. She did seem strange. Strange enough to creep him out.

"Damn it..." He heard Sakura whisper, but he didn't turn around.

"What's wrong?" He asked her, his voice contained a tint of concern.

"My wound opened. It hurts, but I can't exactly fix it with my chakra so low, and besides, bandaging isn't easy if I do it myself." She explained, trying to find a way.

Sasuke sighed. He turned around and walked towards Sakura and bandaged her shoulder. She turned bright red, for she didn't have a shirt on.

"Relax, I'm not looking at you." He explained, as if reading her thoughts.

"Oh, it's ok, thank you." She said meekly. She felt Sasuke stop bandaging her and found it queer. "Is something wrong?"

"There's a seal..." He said. Sakura turned around to face him. "It's a seal that some ninjas use. They are attatched to a Shinobi and it feeds off their chakra and strengh. Like a parasite."

"When did...?" Sakura didn't finish her question, they both knew the answer.

"Those ninjas that attacked the other night weren't there to kill us..." Sasuke thought out loud.

"...They were there to conceal our chakra..." Sakura finished the thought. "We are most likely trapped on a Genjutsu, and since the seal was weakening us we didn't notice right away..."

"That means..." Sasuke started.

"You probably have one too, but the reason why you could fight that man was because they didn't count on that amount of chakra being stored on one person" Sakura explained.

"Turn around, I know a releasing jutsu." Sakura did as she was ordered and Sasuke released the seal, the ink dissapearing from her skin.

"Tell me what to do, I'll erase yours." She told him. Sasuke nodded and turned around removing his shirt. Sakura quickly found the seal, not really in his back, but in his front, right under the collarbone.

"Ok, now channel your chakra to fight and release the seal..." Sakura did it and in her first attempt, the seal was erased from the male shinobi's body. He was surprised with her capacity for learning. He stood up and they both put on their shirts.

Sasuke reached his bag and took out some sort of potion. It looked disgusting. Sakura's face was the same as when she met the man.

"Don't look at it like that. You're going to drink it." He said, handing the bottle to her.

"No thanks, that looks like Naruto after he was dared not to eat ramen for an entire week." Sakura said, chuckling slightly remembering her friend's pale, greenish, blueish face.

"Drink it. It's going to raise your chakra. You'll need it. We're leaving this town. You said it, it's a Genjutsu, and we can't take the risk of staying here. The real town shouldn't be too far away anyways." He said. Sakura took the bottle in her hands, knowing that there is no point in arguing, so she drank it in one gulp. Her face was twisted, showing his disgust. Sasuke couldn't help but laugh a little at his teammate's childinsh actions. She looked...cute.

Sakura handed the bottle back to Sasuke, they both stood up and got ready to leave ASAP. As they were picking up the remaining things on the room, sakura couldn't contain herself and asked Sasuke;

"Why were you so upset with the man?"

"What man?"

"The one who attacked me. You're usually a lot more calm."

"When he hit you, I don't know why... It made me extremely angry, so I killed him."

Sakura mouthed an 'o' and smiled.

They left the village and Sakura used a portion of her quickly filling reservoir of chackra to vanish the Genjutsu. As they did, they both walked away, wondering who was after them and why.

&&

* * *

There we go! I hope that you don't hate me too much!

I'm sorry if I used the word 'dude' too much, but I really like it :3, yes I'm a pretty eccentric person, I know that.

I know that Sasuke's inner was VERY OOC, but I tried to make it a little funny and stuff... and if the jokes aren't funny, you can laugh at my lame attempt! So yeah! You'll have a kicker either way:D

For anyone who noticed; ues, the girl Pilika, was the one from Shaman King, HoroHoro's sister. And the name 'Fumbari Hot Springs' was the name Anna gave to Yho's team.

Besides that, I tried to make it a long chapter. 12 pages long :D and well, I thank you all for reading, I'm trying to give it a twist. I'm sorry if it's a crappy chapter, I had to really squeeze my brain so you had something to read.

And as I said; Here's the summary of the my adaptation of "Twilight" to Naruto;

Title: Twilight.

Plot owner: Stephenie Meyer

Adaptations: Green Pinguin Queen

Pairing: SasuSaku and maybe others.

Summary: "About 3 things I was completely sure; First, Sasuke was a vampire. Second, there is a part of him, and I'm not sure how dominant that part might be, that craved for my blood. And third...I am unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him."

Tell me if I should go through with it, ok?

Just so that you know, I lurv u guys so much that it's 2 am and I'm still writing this chapter to upload :)


	7. Chapter 6: The Old Man

Ok, I'm sorry!

I know that it's taken me 3 months to update, and I'm really sorry…. But I've been crazy busy!

Now I'm back to school, a sophomore, yay for me!... Well, not really, my chem. Teacher thinks it's fun to give me 9 pages of homework for the next day and then make me stand in front of the class to explain whatever, though he knows I'm not going to get it right.

To those who wonder, I did start the Twilight thingy, but it lacked originality, the characters weren't well distributed and, lets face it, it wasn't coming out the way I hoped. So I deleted it, I'm sorry for all the people who were reading it. However, if you were reading it and haven't read Stephenie Meyer's version (original), I encourage you to do so, cuz it's the best damn book ever. For those who are interested, _Breaking Dawn_ , the sequel, will be released on August 2, 2008, and, _Midnight Sun_ – Twilight from Edward's POV will be released this year too.

I'm freakishly excited!

Ok, now that that's out of the way, I want to thank all reviewers who still read this story and let me know they like it.

Now, this chapter came to me while I was daydreaming in my English class.

Disclaimer: Does Naruto have Penguins? Do you see dancing cookies running around? Is there a banner saying "GREEN" somewhere? I don't think so... Now take a wild guess about ownership.

* * *

**xIceBreakingx**

**xChapter 6: The Old Man.x**

&&

"Stupid village is a lot farther away than I expected…" Sasuke muttered under his breath. It's been 8 hours since they left Freaky Town and it was getting dark.

Sakura looked at her surroundings, trying to find something that may hint human presence nearby. She did find prints, but they seemed a few days old.

They kept on walking on the grassy path, not saying a word. The Autumn leaves were falling, that, in contrast with the sunset, made a beautiful scene that would take the breath out of anybody…

"Damn it, its getting dark. It was bad enough that we're up north, but its also a bad season… Stupid Autumn."

Unless, of course, you're Sasuke Uchiha.

"You really are a depressing person, you know." Sakura said in a sigh. They suddenly heard a ruffle in the leaves and both reacted quickly and took out their weapons. The ruffled noise became louder as a nearby shrub shook, and both Shinobi were already in their fighting stance, locating any signs of Chakra anywhere, in case whoever it was wasn't alone.

A lean, hunched figure emerged from the shrubs with a thump, and quickly found its way to the floor. It was a man. A villager, judging by his clothes. He looked old and weak, scrapes of white hair revolted about his face. The man was unconscious, and Sakura rushed to his side.

"Are you nuts!?" Sasuke raged, scanning for any possible ambush. "This could be a trap!"

"He's old. He's suffering! I'm a doctor, I have to help him!" She countered, turning the man on his back, checking his pulse and thorax area carefully, whilst scanning for any device that might set off, after all, Sasuke was right, this could be a trap.

"All's clear." Sasuke announced after a few moments. "What's wrong with him?" He asked, crouching next to Sakura.

"He seems to have collapsed due to lack of oxygen…. But it's not because of the area…. It's in his system…. I need to take a good look before I can assure anything else" She murmured. She administered a medicine from her bag to open his airways, and the man was breathing normally soon enough.

"We've got to keep going." Sasuke stated. Sakura shot her head back at him with and expression of surprise mixed with anger.

"Are you _kidding_!?" She asked in disbelief. "We've got to help him! I can't just leave him here.!"

_What's his problem!_

_**Yeah! It's a poor old man! How can he just lñeave him here and walk away when the man clearly needs a doctor!**_

_Exactly!_

_**I don't care how much I would loooove to melt chocolate on him, this was so out of place!**_

_Can yo__u be any creepier?_

Sakura turned back to help the old man, shooting Sasuke a few glares every now and then. The man had no external wounds and his bones seemed to be fine, but fragile. As she was checking him, the man woke up.

"Who are you?" He managed to say, weakly and in a very low voice. He was fatigued and probably sick.

"It's ok, I'm a doctor, You passed out a few moments ago, and I just to make sure that you'll be alright. Do you have somewhere we can take you before it gets dark?" She spoke softly, choosing words and tone carefully, not to scare the man.

"Yes, I have a home…there." And he pointed at a tiny yet not far away cottage. Sakura nodded and tried to fix the man in a position so that she could carry all his weight and they could get to the house and give the man proper attention. She finally managed to position the man, but he was a dead weight and she couldn't do this by herself. By the first step, he tripped and was pulling her onto the ground with him.

Sasuke finally intervened. He put the man's arm across his shoulder the same way Sakura had done so that the whole weight would rely upon himself. Sakura shot him a dubious look.

"Weren't you extremely eager to go?" She asked coldly, still angry because of the way he tried to dismiss the man.

He sighed. "If I return without you, they'll think that I killed you, besides, I can't leave you alone, because I'm sure you'd get yourself into trouble"

_**Deeeeeeeeeeniaaaaaaaaaall!!!**_

_What the hell?_

_**You are SOOOOOOOO in denial! **_

_Denial? About what?_

_**You like Sakura. Scrach that, You reaaaallly like Sakura, but are too much of a stubborn ass to face it and accept it.**_

_Is it possible for a fragment of my imagination to be drunk?_

_**I'm not drunk, I'm realistic!**_

_Look, I'm not in denial._

_**No, You're just very selective about the reality you accept.**_

_I'll beat you to the bloody pulp if you keep that up._

_**So, you say you don't like her?**_

_Exactly._

_**Then why are you amusing her by staying here?**_

_Because she'll get killed by herself._

_**Right, because, by no means, you could take her anyways. Nope! Of course not! You can't! It's an impossibility! So you have to give in to what she says…. Right?**_

_Hn._

_**I rest my case.**_

Next thing he knew, they had arrived to the cottage. It was fairly decent. Though there was only room for one person.

"Is there anybody we can contact? Family? Friend, perhaps?" Sakura asked in a very soft voice, as if speaking too loudly or roughly would break the old man. They laid him in a bed that rested against a wall and Sakura fetched him a glass of water.

It was a modest house. The bed had a window next to it, so the Sunrise could be seen perfectly every morning. Next to the bed, laid a table. A nightstand, small and antique. There was a table for one in the middle of the room and a few things piled up in the corner.

The man drank his water as before he answered Sakura. "No, miss. As you can see, I live here by myself. My children were taken away by war, and my wife passed away a few years ago…. We had moved over here, to the countryside because she was very sick and she wanted to spend her final days in the fresh air and quietness she loved. After her death, I didn't have the heart to move back into town."

Sakura looked at him with sorrowful eyes. This man had been alone for years. He had shed away from society after he lost everything. Unconsciously, she looked at Sasuke, who leaned against the door. He met her gaze and she turned her head quickly, avoiding his eyes.

_Just like him._

"I want to thank you. Both of you. I'm sure you had better things to do with your day than help an old man back home. Blessed be you." He said, with a smile.

Sakura was yanked out of her reverie with the sound of the man coughing.

"Are you ok?" She helped him sit up and straight, straightening his shoulders to allow the flow of air through his lungs.

Sasuke walked out of the door without a word and reached a nearby tree, leaned over and sat down. Not 5 minutes had passed when he was asleep.

"Excuse me, I'm concerned about the reason that made you pass out. Would you mind if a examined you to find the cause?" Sakura asked respectfully. She had always had an innate thing for helping others, but this time, it felt different. She had to save him. Of course, she cared about every single patient, but this was different. Like it was one of her friends' lives on her hands. Weird thing, since she just met the man.

"Oh, please, don't bother with an old man. You have things to do, places to see…. Other patients to take care of. You don't need to waste your time in me."

"Please, it's no bother, besides, I would feel very guilty if I left you here by yourself." Sakura replied, something in her eyes revealed how much she wanted – and needed- to do this.

_Why do I feel such an urge to save him? I mean, I care about all my patients… but here… its….i don't know… stronger.."_

_**I think I have a theory…**_

_Tell me._

_**Outer me, You see this man as Sasuke. He has that same look of loneliness in his eyes. And his ways… You see this man as an older version of Sasuke, and you just can't turn your back on him, the same as you wouldn't be able to turn it on Sasuke.**_

_You might be right…._

_**Have you seen the size of my forehead? What? Do you think it's all show? I have brains, you know…**_

The medic proceeded with her examination. It took her no more than half an hour. She spoke and listened to the man while she worked. She abruptly came to a stop as she checked his torso.

"Is something the matter, Miss?"

"Please, call me Sakura… and no, I just need to go get some medicinal plant by the river." And with that, she stood up and left promptly.

She walked in the direction of the river, though instead of getting there, she leaned against a tree and let her own weight drag her onto the floor. She supported her elbows with her knees and her had was buried in her hands.

Sasuke was asleep a few feet away and was awoken by the presence of his partner, however, he didn't move an inch. He had heard a noise and wanted to make sure of its nature before acknowledging his presence. As he heard sniffing and sobbing coming from nearby, he confirmed his suspicions and walked over to Sakura, careful not to startle her.

"What's wrong with Old Guy?" He asked indifferently.

"He was exposed to several toxins. The ninjas that passed through here must've set them for their enemies and his body absorbed them. He's dying." She answered and tried to wipe her tears with her shirt. She didn't like the idea of Sasuke seeing her cry again.

"Why are you crying? Shouldn't you, as a doctor and Shinobi, be detached to patients and people?" He asked, real curiosity was in his voice.

"It's just not fair." She said, finally being able to stop crying. "He's all alone. When he dies, his death will have no impact on anyone. It shouldn't be like that. No one will mourn over him. Nobody will visit his grave. No one will remember he was there…"

Sasuke was sitting next to his partner, taking in all that she was saying. Would it be like that with him? When he dies… will somebody mourn over his grave?

"It's not true." He said. "Don't you see that you are mourning over him and he's not dead yet? Maybe you're right, everybody's life will not be affected by this… but yours is. You always under valuate yourself. Ever since we were 12, you never seem to consider yourself enough for anything. So don't say that he didn't affect anybody…." And he stood up and left with another word.

_Did he just….?_

…_**Comfort you? What the hell?!**_

_Well, I guess he is right…. Gotta go tell the man…_

_**And then find a place to spend the night. It's already dark**_

Sakura erased every shred of evidence of her mourn and came back into the cottage to tell the man the situation. He took it surprisingly well.

"Doctor Sakura, I want to thank you for being so kind with me today. I can see that you feel bad for this, but I beg you, do not. I've been alone for a long time, and it's just my turn to go join my family. You are a sweet and lovely girl, and a wonderful, caring person. I thank you and your friend for giving me company in this one of my last days alive…"

The Medic-nin felt the tears threatening to fall from her eyes, and fought them back. Soon they impaired her view and betrayed her calm look, rushing down her face. She dried them with the back of her sleeve.

"Shinobi aren't supposed to show emotion…" She murmured to the man. He just replied with an understanding smile.

"I won't tell anyone…" She cleared her face and left the man to sleep, knowing that he wouldn't wake up again.

Once again, she walked into the night and felt relieved as darkness closed around her. She met Sasuke a few feet away from the house. He looked at her with…. Is that sympathy?

"You alright?" He merely asked. He faced the other way, not looking at Sakura, allowing her to regain composture. Traitor tears that destroyed her façade were quickly effaced from her face by her sleeve, now stained with the little backsttabers.

"I'm fine. Why do you care anyways?" Sakura responded in a rather rude manner. Sasuke sighed and looked up at the clouds, hiding the stars, allowing just the moon itself to shine in all its glory through the clouds.

"Hn." She scoffed at this answer, and couldn't believe her ears as he spoke once more. "That doesn't make you weak." He stated.

"Shinobi aren't supposed to show emotion. That's the rule." Sakura replied coldly. "My attachment to people make me both a bad doctor and a bad Kunoichi."

He ignored her reply and whispered almost inaudibly. "Doesn't make you weak…. It makes you human." That being said, he merely stood up and left, walking in the other direction, leaving behind a dumbfounded Sakura.

* * *

&&

"Children! Listen up! We have something special today!" Iruka piqued the children's attention with that. There never was any surprises or special event. Just like in a regular school.

The class soon quieted down as the students tried to guess what was going on.

"Are you going to teach us how to kill someone just using our bare hands?" A red headed boy with freckles and a shirt with the Konoha insignia in black ink over the blue background asked. He was sitting in the back of the class.

"No." Iruka said, his usual smile on his face.

"Are you going to show us a new super powerful oh-my-god-oh-so-great-and-youthful jutsu that will wipe all our adversaries off the face of earth so us children can dominate the whole entire world and force the adults to do our homework?" A brunette girl, with her hair uncombed and one or two scrapes on her legs and arms asked, her green eyes glittering in excitement.

"Uhh…No…" Iruka answered, undoubtly a little concerned for this guess.

"Are you giving us cookies?" A cute blonde boy asked, innocence written all over his face.

"No."

"Then tell us! What's the big surprise?!" The redhead asked, growing impatient, the brunette girl laid back in her chair muttering something about 'what good is it being a ninja if you can't force others to do stuff for you?'

"Well. I'm going to introduce you to my former students! They're officially ranked Jounin and are of the Top class ninjas in all Konoha. They'll stay here a couple of days and teach your classes." He explained. Some groaned in disappointment, others yawned in indifference. However, they al soon shared a thought in common.

_Time to raise some hell._

As Ino and Kiba entered the room, dressed up in their own Jounin uniforms, they could read the malevolent look in the children's eyes. Kiba gulped and Ino shuddered as they walked towards the middle of the room, thinking they're ready for anything these kids have got.

"Well, I'll leave you to the care of Ino and Kiba. See you later kids!" And Iruka was out of the class, followed by Ino and Kiba's longing looks. Both Shinobi turned their heads to the class once more and shared a thought.

_Oh, Crap._

* * *

&&

The medic-nin opened her eyes and immediately raised her hand to shield her eyes from the blazing sun. Her back ached and her head throbbed.

_Did I fall asleep?_

_**Nah, You just crossed a vortex that transferred you from last night to this morning.**_

_God, do you ever stop bitching?_

_**Sheesh, take a chill pill! What are you? Sexually stressed?**_

_What the hell!_

_**I mean, seriously! When was the last time you at least made out with someone?**_

_Hmm…_

_**You're **__**really**__** angry?**_

_No… I'm just trying to remember…._

_**Okay….. I'll just leave, now.**_

Sakura rose from her uncomfortable position and stretched, trying to walk off the pain of the uncomfortable sleep. She threw her head upwards, relieving the neck pain and saw a distinct figure in the leafy tree tops. She approached cautiously from a distance and when she was close enough, realized that it was Sasuke.

He slept soundly and deeply. His head slightly tilted towards his right shoulder. It was the first time Sakura had seen him so… at peace. Whilst asleep, he didn't have the urgent need to beating someone to the bloody pulp, or have to live with the constant pain of losing everyone you loved or hate the only thing you had left.

He must've been really tired, for he would've woken up as soon as he felt her approach. She quickly and gracefully made her way back to the ground, and flinched when she remembered the old man.

Slowly turning her body, she raised her sight and her gaze met the house. She made her way slowly to it, dragging her feet every step of the way. The fact that she knew the result didn't help at all. As she entered the house and found the peaceful body of the man lying in the bed, she felt those little traitors well behind her eyes again, but she fought them back.

Sighing, she walked forward and leaned next to the bed. Sakura reached for a handkerchief and laid it on the man's face. Taking a deep breath, she walked out of the house and once again met Sasuke in the same spot he had been the night before.

"Kicked the bucket, didn't he?" He asked bluntly.

"Yes, he passed away. If you want, go on ahead, I'll give him a proper burial and then catch up with you." She said, avoiding his gaze.

"I already told you, I'll get into serious trouble with the hag if I lose you. Come on, I'll give you a hand with that." He said, a bored tone took over his voice and face.

After the burial was done, Sakura rose from her spot next to the grave and took a deep breath, closing her sad eyes. As she opened them, sympathy glowed in her eyes once again, she turned around to face Sasuke and forced a smile into her lips.

"Ready to go?" She asked.

"Hn." Was the response she got.

"Sasuke…." She whispered. He turned his head and looked at her indifferently. She shook her head, as if dismissing whatever she was about to say.

_I promise, you won't die alone._

&&

* * *

Well!

I'm sorry for the dramatic and sort of Emo chapter. I don't know why, but I felt that this would bring a closer understanding of how Sasuke must feel, being all alone and stuff.

Again, I'm sorry if it was too Emo, I'll try to make the next one a little more cheerful.

And also, I have to apologize once more for taking a century to update… I hope that you still like it and keep on reading it.


	8. Chapter 7: Angry or Not?

Ok, I have absolutely no excuse. You can bicker at me all you want. I'm terribly sorry, but I know that you're not here for an apology, so here.

Disclaimer: My evil plan failed, I still don't own Naruto… but maybe someday I will..

--

Sakura had been quiet all along. Her own instincts had taken over during the absence of her mind, which was too busy with other things. Her thoughts continued to dance around the kind old man and his final words. What she had feared faced her.

The old man was Sasuke's future.

She didn't want this future for Sasuke.

She didn't want him to be in pain. She didn't want him to live by himself and to find only strangers crossing near him for the rest of his life.

She didn't want Sasuke to be alone.

Why? She still cared about him.

Sakura gritted her teeth unconsciously as her mind processed the new realization. She didn't want to care for him.

She didn't want to feel anything for him. No love. No sadness. No longing. No hate. No fear. No love.

Nothing…

But the heart never listens to the mind, now does it? No matter how hard we try, heart wins every freaking time.

The chilly Autumn wind grazed Sakura's skin. A shiver ran through her spine, not knowing if they were because of the cold air or something else. Her feet instinctively followed the path as she continued to stare at the delicate grass leaves. Walking steps ahead from her, was Sasuke.

From the corner f his eye, he trued to catch a glimpse of her. Silence wasn't characteristic of the girl.

He, as well, was immersed in his thoughts. He thought about the old man, and wondered. Sure, it was sad that he had died alone and all, but why did Sakura take it so hard on herself? Id she blame herself for lacking the ability to save him? She should've known that doctors can't save everybody.

The blazing midday sun shone gleefully in the middle of the sky. Both shinobi heard a rumple and raised their heads to the sky.

The beautiful clear blue sky was being swallowed by gray and black clouds, gliding across the sky fluidly. Sasuke glared at the clouds while Sakura scowled.

"Looks like its gonna be a heavy storm…" The Uchiha boy mused.

"It's dangerous to travel under these circumstances." She said softly, knowing that her partner would hear her. "we should be getting to the village soon, if not, we're gonna have a problem"

"What, a little rain scares you?" Sasuke teased. Sakura wasn't in the mood to be teased.

"Don't be such an idiot." She muttered. "Do you have any idea of how many people want you dead? Be thankful that I'm not giving them the tip."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

_Is she PMS or something? _

_**Nah, just annoyed.**_

_Would you take my side for once?_

_**Lemme think for a sec, which side to pick? Obnoxious, arrogant, boy, or hearbroken sensitive girl? What to do, what to do?**_

_Bastard,_

_**Only as much as you… **_

Sasuke scowled at his inner conversation and tuned it out. He stole a glance from Sakura, who was still staring intently at the soil. He sighed. Finally, through the misty, dark day, a few blinking lights shone, and the town was spotted.

"There it is…" Sakura breathed. Sasuke followed her gaze, and soon they met a village.

They made their way across the crowded plaza. Walking one next to the other, they didn't spare each other a glance. They walked in silence, Sasuke being the one to break it.

"You mad at me?" He asked, not a tint of curiosity in his voice.

"No" She replied simply, looking at the groceries at he plaza.

"Could've fooled me" He muttered.

"Why would I be mad at you?" She asked flatly, still distracting herself with anything she found.

"I don't know. I don't know how women's minds work, but if I had a guess, I'd say that it has to do with the old man…" He suggested.

"Well, it doesn't, and I'm not." She said curtly. Sasuke rolled his eyes and 'Hn'ed.

Sakura wasn't mad. She had no reason to be. Specially at Sasuke, seeing as he had done nothing wrong. She was just irritated. Sakura was irritated at herself and her lack of defense.

At the beginning of the mission, she had promised herself that this was nothing special. Also, when Sasuke left, years back, she promised herself never to let her heart take the best of her.

_Maybe I'm exaggerating.. _

_**No. Don't you dare hesitate! You hear me? Don't. You. Dare…. Stand your ground, woman!**_

_What are you talking about? Its not like im in love with him or anything._

_**You're right. You're not. Yet.**_

_Fine. Explain yourself._

_**Last time he broke you, you were in love with him and you were weak and tiny and breakable and—**_

_I get it! Move to the point._

_**Well, my point is, you care for him. **_

_Ooh, call the police. We were in the same team and went to the same school as kids; humand beings tend to grow fond with people after they spend so much time together. I'm sorry you're not familiar with those terms, but—_

_**Drop the sarcasm, you're not me.**_

_I thought you were part of me._

_**Very funny, Naruto, now listen. You can not let him into your heart once more.**_

_But—_

_**No buts. I don't care if its only as a friend. Actually, scratch that, you can never be friends.**_

_Why the hell not?_

_**Dear, you were IN LOVE with him. You know, cupids, hearts, flowers and bunnies jumping rainbows?**_

_So? That doesn't mean—_

_**It does.**_

_I can control—_

_**You can't.**_

_Can I finish the thought? Sheesh…_

_**All I'm saying is; if you start caring for him, you'll fall for him. And if you fall for him and he turns you down once more, do you think you'd be able to bear it?**_

…

_**I rest my case.**_

Sakura glared at nothingness while she had her inner fight. The sad part is, her inner was right. If she started caring for him, he'd break her again… She snapped out of her reverie and walked to one of the stands that looked so colorful. An accessory shop, for the looks of it.

"Good afternoon, miss" Said an exhausted looking woman from behind the counter. She looked small and fragile; somewhat concerned. Sakura smiled politely at her.

"Good afternoon, ma'am" Sakura said. She picked up an ankle sheath with a dagger in it.

_Useful…_

The woman turned to look at Sasuke and sighed as n relief. Sasuke's brows furrowed, and he looked around him. Something seemed strange. Not like at the other town' it wasn't that 'something's terribly wrong' feeling, just a sensation of queerness.

He looked at the people passing by. A woman and her husband, a man and his children, another man watching over his wife and daughter…

The woman sighed. This caught Sasuke's attention.

"You're ninja, right?" She asked rhetorically. Sasuke was about to answer when the woman continued. " We've had a few of those come by sometimes… usually that brings problems… luckily, this time things should go smoothly."

"Excuse me?" Sakura asked politely, yet confused.

" He noticed, didn't you, young man?" Sasuke was caught off guard b the direct question, but showed no sign of it and nodded. Sakura looked back and forth from Sasuke to the lady, confused.

"In this town, there is a very strict law. Women cannot be out without their husbands or guardians." She explained. " Usually when we have ninja here, its either only female members or they're not at all related to the males in the team."

Sasuke blinked slowly in understandment of what the lady had meant. Sakura was slightly more dense than him, though, she didn't seem to understand why this wouldn't be an impairment to them.

" Ninja usually fight when they're to be arrested for breaking the law." She shook her head. "I just wish they'd respect our laws and go quietly."

Sakura still didn't understand. She put the ankle sheath down while she read the woman's face.

"Luckily, this won't be a problem to you, miss," She continued. "Having your husband here with you sure will make things easier for all of us."

Sakura blushed a deep scarlet at the woman's mistake. Neither one of them corrected her, though. If it mad it easier, she knew that Sasuke wouldn't mind calling himself her husband for a day or two.

"Wh-what gave you the idea that he's my husband?" Sakura stuttered to ask, still flushed.

" You looked at each other in a certain way.. As if you were fighting… but at the same time, I was able to read some sort of sadness and hesitation on both of you…" the woman said.

_**Sasuke? Hesitating? The sky is falling! Reach for shelter!!**_

_Shut up for once, will you?_

The old lady shrugged off the conversation and ased Sakura in a professional tone " Will you take the sheath, miss?"

Before Sakura could rely, Sasuke cut her. " Yes." He said "We will"

And he paid the woman, who handed the knife to Sakura.

--

Evil smiles crept through the lips of the children. Kiba gulped and Ino took a step back, almost hiding behind Kiba.

"G-go ahead, Ino" Kiba 'offered' Ino.

"No, that's ok, you introduce yourself first" She said, not hiding the nervousness in her voice. Before either one of them could say anything, the messy girl stood behind them, circling them like a lion to his prey.

"So…" She cooed. " You're our substitute teachers, aren'tcha?" She asked. Kiba stepped forth and introduced himself to the class.

"Good morning class. I'm Inuzuka Kiba, Shinobi ranked Jounin. I'll be teaching you for a couple of days" He explained. Ino followed his lead.

"And I'm Yamanaka Ino, Kunoichi ranked Jounin. I'll be here this week as well."She said to the class.

The girl who had approached them kneeled down to the floor to grab Akamaru, who had slipped from his owner's jacket.

"This here, is Akamaru." Kiba explined. The class stared in awe. "He is my travel companion, and a very powerfull ally."

The class gaped and looked at the 2 shinobi. The children were well behaved and seemed to be fascinated at everything they did.

_Piece of cake._

Kiba regained his confidence and stepped forward, ready to become the class clown like he'd always been. Just as he stepped forward, he turned around as he heard Akamaru wince. Behind him, the brunette girl was pulling on his ears and Akamaru tried to squirm out of her grasp.

"Hey! Don't do that, you're hurting him!" He said and stepped forward. Ino flickered her eyes from the girl to Kiba and back. She saw the smile creep into her lips one more, and she turned to see her partner, except that he wasn't there anymore.

Instead of standing in front of the class, Kiba now hung from the roof, upside down, held by a rope tied around his foot. Ino's eyes widened in shock..

"Kiba!!" She reached for a kunai in her pouch, but found that she had none. She mentally kicked herself as she remembered that she was asked to leave all weapons outside the classroom.

She wouldn't be able to release Kiba.

She was on her own, with a bunch of kids.

Smiling nervously, she slowly backed towards the board, until the wall impaired further walk. She gulped nervously.

"Ino!! Put me down, dammit!" Kiba yelled from the roof.

The messy girl walked towards Ino, amused. Ino tried to control the class. "Children, sit down!" She ordered.

The girl grinned devilishly and said "But teacher…We have to welcome you appropriately"

One thought crossed her mind.

_Oh, Crap. This is __**bad**__._

--

Sakura strapped her sheath to her ankle. It was light and the material allowed easy movement.. She liked it. She liked it very much. She looked at Sasuke.

"Sasuke…Thanks for the knife..." She said. Sasuke grunted and Sakura interpreted it as a 'You're welcome'. Still, it bothered her that he wouldn't even spare her a glance as he grunted. "You could at least say 'You're welcome'" She muttered.

"You're welcome." He stated dryly.

"At least look at m--" Sakura didn't finish her sentence. Her mouth hung open, and Sasuke turned around, alert and ready for an enemy.

"What is it? I don't sense anyone"

"It's not it..."She muttered. Sasuke looked at her, confused. " We do sound like a married couple.."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

He sighed and walked forward.

Sakura walked right behind him. She thought everything that they'd gone through. She thought about the woman who mistook them for a couple. She wondered if Sasuke had minded that. Had it bothered him? Had he been uncomfortable to be called her husband? The doubt clouded her head more than she wanted it to.

Rain soon began to fall. Sasuke and Sakura made it to a hotel in time, with no further inconvenience. Sakura stared out the window, watching the rain fall, thinking about nothing in particular. She caught a glimpse of Sasuke, walking out from the shower, still in a towel. He didn't seen to care that she saw him, but she was uncomfortable ogling over him, so she urned away.

The rain was the only sound that filled the room. But to Sakura, a few words coming from within her.

_**Don't you dare fall for him.**_

--

Well, that's the next chapter, I hope you enjoyed it. I'm not sure if it turned out well...

Please let me know what you thik, and any ideas for the next chapter are welcome...

See you next time!


	9. Chapter 8: Pretty Angry, I

Hi, everyone

Hi, everyone!

Well, I decided to update since it's a slow day and I have nothing to do until dinner!

You might notice that I'm in a good mood. Well, it's true! No, I still don't have a life. Nope, same goes for love life…. But who wants guys when you get to go on a trip to New York with one of your best friends!

So yeah, if there are any guys reading this, sorry! But New York beats basically anything!

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Naruto, I'd use the money to hop on a plane and bribe bumpers and everyone around me to go see Yellowcard… Do you seriously think I have that kind of money?\

&!#&()!#&()!#&()!#&()!#&()!#&()!#&())!#&()!#&(

**xIceBreakingx**

**xChapter 8: Pretty Angry, I'd say**

Sakura made her way into the bathroom after Sasuke had left the room to walk around town. She was irritated, since she now wasn't allowed to leave the room, thanks to the stupid law.

_**What kind of a town is this?! I demand women's rights!!**_

_Oh, shut up already._

Sakura suppressed a whimper as she soaked on the hot water. Lightly, with the tips of her fingers, she brushed the dark bruise in her arm, the one that she had gotten while fighting with the big man while trapped on the genjutsu.

After she recovered al her chakra reserves, she'd used part of them for the old man, and then she resolved that she could do with a bruise or two. She'd save her chakra in case something big showed. Better safe than sorry.

She rested the back of her head against the bathtub and closed her eyes lightly. Images of her and Sasuke played on her mind like soundless movies.

"I won't fall for him." She whispered.

A sudden light knock on her door yanked her out of her reverie. Sakura wrapped herself in a towel, and grabbed a kunai as she approached the door. You never know when to expect an attack, now do you?

"Who is it?" Sakura asked, approaching the door.

"There's someone here to see you!" Came the reply. Sakura sighed, but didn't pit down the kunai. Who would be visiting her. Who even knew she was here anyways.

"Just a minute!" She yelled across the door, and grabbed her clothes, which were splayed across the bed. She dressed herself quickly and headed for the door, strapping the ankle sheath in place, with the knife fastened securely to it.

She opened the door, revealing a blonde woman with braided hair. She had dark eyes and a polite smile plastered on her face.

"Sorry to bother you, Mrs. Uchiha, but there is someone here to see you." The woman said. Sakura nodded and followed her out of her and Sasuke's room, into the reception.

The woman had called her Mrs. Uchiha. The town laws demanded that a woman didn't go out without her husband or warden, and, to avoid a fuzz, Sakura and Sasuke pretended to be married. They even stayed in the same room, to keep appearances.

Sakura entered the reception and met with a familiar face. Black hair that she knew too well in the shape of an upside bowl was made visible, and she cringed in recognition.

"Sakura-san! What is this that I hear! Is it true? Please, tell me that it's nothing more that a vile lie from the lips of those who wish our demise!" Lee yelled as he spotted Sakura.

"Hi, Lee." Sakura said softly. "What is a lie?"

"Oh, my Youthful Blossom! Please, tell me that your name isn't Sakura Uchiha!" Lee said in an overly dramatic tone.

"Err.. Sorry, Lee, it's true." She lied. Lee rested the back of his hand on his forehead, in a dramatic motion.

"But Sakura-san! Why was I not invited to the wedding? Am I not your friend?" His eyes crystallized as the thought of his friendship with Sakura being a lie.

"Well, it was a small wedding… You know how Sasuke-kun is." She laughed nervously as she tried to keep up the lie. Lee was about to say something more, but Sakura cut him off "Hey, Lee. How about a cp of tea in the back yard?" She looked at the receptionist, who gave a small, approving nod, communicating that it was within the boundaries of the laws.

"Of course, Sakura-san! I'd love to!" His mood swings were so dramatic that Sakura actually wondered if it was possible that Lee was actually PMSing.

They left the reception, and, as soon as Sakura was sure she was out of ear shot, she began speaking calmly, explaining the situation to Lee.

"And that's why Sasuke and I are pretending to be married… Do you understand?" She asked Lee.

"Oh, what a relief it is to hear that my Youthful Blossom has not yet fallen into the the arms of a vile creature such as Sasuke Uchiha! If you ever did, you'd loose your youthfulness, which would be stripped from you by the unyouthful Uchiha!" Lee exclaimed. Sakura sighed.

"What the hell are you talking about, bushbrows?" Came a cold voice. Sakura turned around to find her "husband" walking towards them.

"Hey Sasuke." Sakura greeted, then turned back to Lee.

"Hn. No wonder the receptionist gave me an apologetic look when I came in." He said, staring straight at Lee.

"Huh?" Sakura asked.

"When I came in, she told me that my wife was in the yard with another man." He stated emotionlessly. Sakura glared at him. Lee clenched his fist, raising it to the air.

"Why you--!" Lee began saying, but Sakura cut him off.

"Hey, Lee… Umm… How did you find us?" Sakura hoped that she'd be able to sidetrack Lee out of his threat. Luckily, this was Lee,

"You'll see, my youthful blossom, I was at Konoha, when Kakashi-sensei told me that you and Sasuke were on a mission, so when Tsunade assigned me to a mission, I came by to rest at this town. That's when I sensed your chakra, and followed the trace to the hotel." Lee explained proudly.

Sakura mouthed an 'O' ad Sasuke grunted. Suddenly, Lee stood up and bowed in front of Sakura.

"I have to leave, my Youthful Sakura-san." He announced.

"Lee… It's the middle of the night…" Sakura said.

" It doesn't matter! I have to run back home to meet with Gai-sensei and continue my training!" Lee explained. Sakura nodded, and Lee bowed oce more and left both shinobi alone.

"Hn. Creep" Sasuke said. Sakura glared at him.

&!#&()!#&()+!#()+!#()+!#()!()!#()!#&()!#&()!#()

Ino looked around her frantically, desperate to find anything to help her bring Kiba down and control the kids.

The children were closing in a circle around her, and Ino was loosing it. She did't know how to control the kids. It wasn't exactly as if she could fight them. They were kids, after all. Very, VERY evil kids.

She felt desperation wash over her, her mind in chaos. Suddenly, her arms were pressed against her own body, and she felt the pressure of thin lace binding her. She tried to break free but was unable to.

"What's going on?!" She yelled. The messy girl grinned evilly.

""Well, I told you this was a 'welcome' kind ofthing…So… Welcome!" She grinned widely and Ino's eye twitched madly.

"Kibaa!! I need your help." She called. Kiba still hung upside down, swinging his arms and trying to break loose somehow.

"Do I look like I can help?!" He snapped.

"Hey, don't talk to me in that tone of voice, you hear me?!" She threatened.

"What are you going to do? Annoy me to death?" He retorted.

"Shut up, dog boy!"

"You shut up, stupid blonde!"

"What did you just call me?!"

"You heard me!"

"At least I didn't have to cheat my exams to pass!"

"No, you probably tried and screwed it up!"

Ino felt the anger rising in her. The children backed away in fear. Even the messy girl had stepped back. The blonde was so angry that she could feel her own body temperature rise and blind rage sweep her. She broke free from the grasp of the lace, walked over to Iruka's desk and threw everything she could find at Kiba.

Kiba tried to dodge everything she threw at him, but the chair and desk hit him straight on the face. By this point, children were already hidden under the desks.

"Still wondering what I can do, Inuzuka?!" She asked in between pants.

"Damn it, Ino! When did you get so strong?" Kiba groaned. Ino's rage hadn't yet died down, so she flung a pen like a kunai, and cut the rope that had been holding Kiba up. He hit the floor face-first.

A chill ran down his spine, and he slowly turned around to find a very angry Ino cracking her knuckles as she walked towards him. He let out a nervous laugh.

"H-hey… You do know that I was kidding… Don't you?" He laughed nervously.

"Children." The blonde said loudly and clearly. The kids popped their heads just above the desks, just to see the angry gil. "Look away. This is gonna get ugly."

Kiba gulped and the children watched in amazing horror as Ino closed the space between herself and Kiba with a slow pace. She clenched her fist as the boy's eyes widened and Akamaru hid behind the thrashed desk.

Kiba's scared voice came in a whimper

"Truce?"

&!#&()!#&()+!#()!#()+!#()!#()!#()+!(+!#()+()+()+

Sasuke walked out of the village with Sakura close behind him. He felt her glare and turned back to face her. She had a pink eyebrow raised at him. He waited for her to speak, but she remained silent.

After many moments of staring at each other, Sasuke snapped.

"What?" He asked, irritated.

"Why do you have to be such an ass to Lee?" Sakura asked.

"Hn."

"For once in your life show some of that supposed Uchiha intelligence that you keep flaunting. I'm sick of your monosyllabic responses." Sakura barked. Sasuke was taken aback by the response, but his face didn't reveal it.

"Hn. That creep reminds me of my fangirls, but he's a guy, which makes it a lot more creepier." He replied.

"You're a jerk" She muttered, but he heard, He raised an eyebrow at her, and she crossed her arms over her chest. "You heard me"

_Oops!_

_**When will you learn to watch what you say?!**_

_It's not my fault that he has a bat's hearing!_

_**Sheesh! You know that he has super hearing and you insist on saying things!**_

_Yeah? Well, someone has to!_

_**Ok, braveheart, why us?!**_

_I don't know dammit! It slipped, ok?_

_**No! Not ok! He's gonna kill us!**_

_Well, he hasn't killed us so far… I think we're safe…_

_**Yeah… What's up with that? Usually he would've never put up with that.**_

_I don't know… Maybe he's just not as coldhearted as we thought._

_**NO.**_

_What?_

_**Do we have to go over this again?**_

_I'm not in lve with him._

_**But you—**_

_I won't._

_**For your sake, I hope you're right.**_

They held each other's gaze for a mute or so, until Sasuke looked away.

"Tch. Whatever"

"Go figure." Sakura said. Sasuke glared at her and she glared back. "It's always like that with you, isn't it?" She asked, angrily.

Sasuke came to halt and met her gaze, waiting for her to continue.

"Nothing ever maters to you, now does it? You don't care that you're and ass to Lee,--"

"It's not like he likes me either."

"So? At least he's always descent enough to show some respect towards you. God knows you don't deserve it." She continued. "It's always the same thing with you, you know? 'I'm the great Uchiha now everybody fear me and do as I say'. Well, It doesn't work that way!

"You are the most arrogant, conceited, annoying, superior complex, ass-faced bastard that I've ever known! No wonder people keep their distance from you! Wanna hear a secret? It'd not that people don't understand, It's that you push them away and think that no one understands you.

"You are so far up in that little pedestal of yours, watching everybody below you, that you think you're better and stronger. But what will you do when you fall and have to walk amongst the rest of us? Your conceited attitude will have pushed everyone away, and you'll truly know the meaning of being alone."

Anger swept over Sakura like a tide over the rocks. Her lower lip trembling with rage and her eyes were moisture with anger. Her jaw was firmly set on it's place and her hands were curled up in fists.

_**Dude, she's angry.**_

_Tell me something I don't know._

_**Well, you set her off… Do something.**_

_Like?_

_**I don't know… apologize?**_

_No way. I'm not apologizing to her or to the creep._

_**Fine then, but say something, anything. If you don't say anything, it's gonna make matters worse.**_

They remained silent for several minutes, until Sakura muttered something that sounded like "figures" and walked past Sasuke without sparing him another glance.

He closed his eyes, thinking of what to say. Suddenly, he turned around and spoke.

"Sakura, wait" He said.

"What" She asked curtly. Sasuke had never heard Sakura so angry. He took a deep breath and parted his lips, but no words came.

_**Say something!!**_

_I don't know what to say._

_**Anything is better than standing like idiots for the second time.**_

_Damn! I can't think of anything._

"Why do you care so much anyways?" He spoke the words and regretted them instantly as he saw Sakura's expression harden.

"I don't know. I guess I just always wanted to believe that you could change." She said, barely above a whisper. "But apparently you'll never be anything else than the introverted Uchiha prodigy that could never let anyone in."

As she spoke the last words, she turned around, trying to suppress the tears that threatened in her eyes. Sasuke said nothing, s Sakura walked away, leaving him behind.

_I'm sorry, Sakura…._

&!#&()!()+!()!#+!()+!#()!()!#&()!()!#()!#()!()!(

There you go!

I'm sorry if it was a little to angry… I suddenly got a call while I was writing. My sister called me in tears to tell me that her boyfriend had dumped her.

I am very protetive of my little sister, so I'm gonna kick the bastard's ass so hard that he's gonna wish he never messed with my family.

What a way to ruin my good mood, wouldn't you say?

Oh, and when inner Sakura said about demaning women's rights is copyrighted to C.A.M.E.O 1 and Only. Sorry! I just had to use it! Hope you don't mind!!


	10. Chapter 9: Dont say you're sorry

I know I haven't updated in, like, forever, ad I'm sorry!!!

But I was really busy with finals and arrangements for the next semester, which SUUUUCKS.

Anyways, I have a new puppy, and its FREAKING GORGEOUS. I love him!!! His name is Scott, and it's actually my little sister's, but right now, he's sleeping in MY room, so I WIN!

Anyways….

**Disclaimer: Oh yeah! I own Naruto, that's right!! –falls off her bed- Too good to be true, right?**

#$!%

* * *

**xIceBreakingx**

**xChapter 9:Please Don't Say You're Sorryx**

Sakura hadn't so much as looked at Sasuke for days. It was so weird for him, knowing that she was once head over heels for him.

_**That's what happens when you take someone for granted like that.**_

_I didn't take her for granted! _

_**Then why have you been waiting for her to come to you and apologize?**_

_Because…. That's Sakura.._

_**Well, she doesn't owe you an apology, smart guy, **_**you**_** owe **_**her **_**one.**_

_Excuse me?!_

_**Damn right, excuse you! You were the one who bluntly told her that all her hopes of a better future for you were in vain.**_

_Come on! The only thing I did was tease that stupid bush brows! _

_**No, you idiot! Right afterwards, you asked her why was she so concerned. She told you that she wanted something better for you. She wanted you to have a better future, and you basically told her that it wasn't any of her business!**_

_Well, it wasn't!_

_**You know what? You're impossible. I'm not even going to argue with you. **_

_Good._

_**Just don't come crying to me when you're alone.**_

_Don't worry, I won't._

"Mist is close by. We should be getting there today." Sakura said, interrupting Sasuke's inner dialogue.

"Hn." Sasuke answered. His inner voice urged him.

_**Apologize.**_

_I thought you were done arguing._

_**Just do it.**_

"Sakura," he said. She turned around with a bored expression.

"Yes?" she asked. Sasuke took a deep breath and looked into Sakura's eyes.

"I…." He shut his eyes, to make the process easier.Before he was able to resume talking, Sakura shot her head to another direction.

"We have company…" She muttered. Sasuke felt the presence immediately and was ready to fight.

"Again?" Sasuke asked, more to himself than to Sakura, "This is getting quite tiresome…"

Just then, they were surrounded by eight ninja. Sakura and Sasuke positioned themselves back to back, reducing the blind spots to a minimum.

"They're not very strong." Sakura said, barely above a breath, but knowing that Sasuke could hear her with full clarity. "Can you feel their chakra?"

"You're right," he said, Sakura was astonished for the fraction of a second.

_He's _never _told me that I'm right._

_**Well, you are, now be ready to kick some ass, girl.**_

_This couldn't have come in a better time._

_**Show them what you're made of.**_

Out of the treetops, three ninja with a Waterfall Village headband strapped to their foreheads. Sakura stared at them, confused; Sasuke lunged at them before she had time to analyze the situation.

What was this about? The village hidden in the Waterfall was an ally to Konoha, so it made no sense that they were attacking.

As Sakura tried to figure out what was happening, one of the ninja attacked her. She decided to go for the obvious reaction.

"What are you doing!?" She yelled at her rival.

"We're not falling for your tricks! We know that you're not from Konoha! Give it up already!" Sakura's attacker said.

"What are you talking about?! We _**are**_ from Konoha!" Sakura yelled as she dodged the Waterfall Ninja's awfully accurate kicks.

"If you are, then prove it!" The ninja said and stepped back a safe distance.

"My name is Sakura Haruno, I train under Lady Tsunade, the Gondaime. The other Shinobi is Sasuke Uchiha, former Rogue Ninja, but now reinstated into the Konoha Force."

"Relax, Rin." A voice came from behind Sakura's opponent. A man with brown hair in his mid twenties soon appeared next to Rin.

"Lord Shibuki, you know these ninja?" Rin asked. Sakura hid her surprise of finding out that her opponent was a female. She certainly had a mean kick.

"Sakura, it's been so long…" The man said. It took Sakura a moment to place the man's face and name, but surely enough, it clicked.

"Lord Shibuki!" She gasped, surprised. "You look so different…."

"Well, it _has _been a while since we last met, hasn't it?" he asked. Sakura nodded. Rin spoke.

"My Lord?" she asked.

"Don't you remember, Rin?" he asked. "A few years ago we were attacked by those rogue ninja, Sakura and Sasuke were part of the team that helped us." Rin gasped as she remembered and blushed, bowing her head.

"I'm incredibly sorry, Sakura-sama!" she said.

"Don't worry about it, you were jus being careful." Sakura said. "But, umm…."

"Yes, Sakura-sama?" Rin asked eagerly.

"Could you please call off your ninja? Sasuke's still fighting…" she said.

Rim called off her ninja and Sasuke approached the group. He spared Shibuki a glance and then looked away.

"Well, Sakura, Sasuke, I do hope that you will join us at the Village for something to drink." Shibuki said.

"Well, Lord, we'd love to, but…" Sakura said, but Sasuke cut her off.

"We're already behind schedule in or mission, we don't have any time." Sasuke said coldly. Shibuki seemed unaffected by the nature of Sasuke's response.

"I understand, but I do hope that you'll come visit us soon." He said, looking directly at Sakura. She didn't notice. Sasuke did. He glared holes into Shibuki's skull.

"Some other time, gladly," Sakura said politely, "but for now, I'm afraid we'll have to decline."

"Very well," Shibuki said, "but Sakura, please remember that for you, Waterfall Village is always open."

Soon after, they parted paths. Sasuke gritted his teeth and did his best to appear calm as ever, but he was just _pissed._

_**Woah, dude! Take a chill pill!**_

_Who does that creep think he is, looking at Sakura like _that_?!_

_**What is this I smell? Is it chicken? Ramen? No! It's a fresh, hot bowl of Jealousy! Drink up, buddy!**_

_I'm not jealous._

_**If you say so… But then I have t say, You're a terrible actor.**_

"Not from Konoha…." Sakura whispered to herself. Sasuke looked at her. She stared back. "Those ninja thought that we weren't from Konoha, which means that those ninjas that attacked us the other night might not have been from Mist… And that Genjutsu… I got it!" Sakura said, mentally slapping herself for not having realized it before. Sasuke was clueless about all this mumbling, but he said nothing.

"Back home, I was treating an ANBU officer, and he was telling his partner about this clan that is not attached to any village. They're supposed to be masters of Genjutsu, and everybody's waiting for them to strike, but they haven't… though there have been an unusual number of attacks across Villages that used to be allies…" Sakura rambled, walking forward.

"You think they're trapping ninja in a Genjutsu to make them believe that their allies are enemies?"

"Close. I actually think that they're transforming themselves into ninja from ally villages and attacking them. That way, the population thinks that they're being attacked, and a war explodes." Sakura concluded.

"Great." Sasuke moaned. "That means we have to take care of it, doesn't it?"

"Got that right." Sakura said. "As soon as we have Naruto, I'm sending her a message a we'll take care of that clan…"

"Okay, then…" Sasuke began, but Sakura ignored him.

"Let's get going." Sakura said hastily.

_**She completely ignored you!**_

_What the….?_

_**I told you… man, you hurt her… and this one's not going away… apologize.**_

_I won't.—_

_**Do you care about her?**_

_Yes but—_

_**Apologize.**_

"Sakura…. I…." He said, but Sakura was too far ahead. He ran to catch up with her. "Sakura….." He said, but she ignored him. Angrily, Sasuke gripped her shoulder and turned her around, almost tripping her. "Listen to me!"

"Huh? What??" She asked acting dumbfounded. Truth is she didn't really want to face Sasuke at this point.

"Sakura, you have to stop this. I've been trying to apologize for three miles already! Would you just listen to me?!" he said between clenched teeth.

"What do you want?!" she asked angrily. She was still upset, that didn't change, but anger hid it. "You want to be a jerk again?! Or do you just want to call me worthless and pretend that you're the misunderstood child that is so much better than everyone else?!

"You know what? I don't even want to hear it! This mission was a mistake from the beginning, I told Tsunade-sama so, but she didn't listen! I should've listened to my primary instincts, and just get over with the mission, but no! I had to be foolish enough to believe that you had changed!

"But, then again, that was foolish little Sakura, the one that believed that maybe, _just maybe_ you were in Konoha because we mean something to you… But she was wrong. So really, it doesn't matter. Let's just get going and get this mission over and done with. As soon as we get Naruto, he'll escort you back to Konoha and I'll stay to take care of the Fugetsu Clan."

"Alone? No." Sasuke said.

"Oh, just shut up. It's not like it makes any difference if something happens to me. I won't be in the Great Uchiha's way." She said, and turned away, trying to loosen his grip on her wrist. Instead, he pulled her back, and as she turned to mouth him off, she found that she couldn't speak, for her lips were being covered by his.

#$^#$&*

* * *

Children hid under their tables from Ino's rage. The boldest of them did not hold a candle against Ino's screams.

The kids witnessed several objects fly across the room:

A chair.

The teacher's desk.

Akamaru.

A monkey that no one could really tell where it came from.

Iruka-sensei.

_Wait._

"Iruka-sensei!" Ino said, growing completely pale.

"Ino! Kiba! What is the meaning of this!?" He asked, enraged.

Both shinobi tried to explain, but their voices overlapped, and it came out like a loud and senseless buzz. Iruka's patience was driven to the limit.

"Both of you! Wait until I tell Tsunade-sama about this! You'll both go back to the Academy!" Both pairs of eyes widened in horror.

"No sensei! Please no!" Pleads and whines filled the room. The children began talking, and Iruka tried to calm them down.

"Children, behave…" he said. "I don't want to punish you…"

"Why are we even here!?" Riot Girl said. "I haven't seen those two do _anything_ ninja-ish since they cam in!"

"Tatsuki, calm down!" he said. The girl stood up on her desk.

"Never! The revolution is here! Children will take over!"

"QUIET!" Ino roared. Riot Girl Tatsuki sat down immediately, and every kid in the room stiffened in their desk.

"That was unnecessary, Ino, but thank you…" Iruka said. Ino, Kiba and Akamaru gave Iruka the puppy eyes and he sighed. "I guess I don't _have_ to tell Tsunade-sama about the mess… but you _will_ have to make up for it!" He said. Both shinobi sighed in relief. Akamaru barked, relaxed.

"Thank you so much, Iruka-sensei!" Ino said.

"Yeah, yeah, now go help Lady Tokinawa with the house work…" Iruka said.

"Yes, sensei!" they said and then they were gone.

Iruka took a moment to feel proud of his students. They may not be the brightest of the bunch, but they were good kids. That much he was sure.

His thoughts were interrupted by the children in the class.

"Uhm… Are we… going to learn something…. Someday?" A shy kid in the back of the class asked. Iruka sighed.

He had done a good job with _those _kids…. Unfortunately, he had to keep working on _these._

"Haven't the last couple of days been fun, Naruto?" Hanabi asked, grinning sheepishly. Naruto just mourned his froggy wallet with tears in his eyes. Hanabi shrugged. "Well, _I_ had fun… So how about we walk around the village to see if there is something that I want to take to Nee-san. If you help me, I'll help _you._ Don't you want to take something nice to Hina-chan?"

Naruto blushed deep scarlet. "Y-yes…" he said.

"Great! Then let's go!"

!#$*)#%

* * *

Chapter 9, complete!

If it's a little off, im sorry, I did it in a rush in order to have something to give you before you kill me.

Leaving that aside, I want to thank you ALL for making this story a success. I went over 100 reviewers, and I'm the happiest person alive.

See you next time in IceBreaking, and I hope that you keep reviewing!

-GPQ


	11. Chapter 10: Are We There Yet?

Green Penguin Queen here!

I've spent the last three days wondering what to do with my allegedly abandoned story. I say allegedly because its NOT abandoned. I just don't have time to breathe.

Next semester I'm starting college, so everything is falling on me. Besides, I'm also working on a novel that I've been writing for little under year, I believe, and I'm trying to find a way to wrap it up before I start college, since I want to study medicine, and we all know that it can be an incredibly demanding career.

I have my inscription to the college exam on Tuesday, and I'm FREAKISHLY scared, since only 10% of the applicants ACTUALLY get in, and my highschool credits aren't the best, since I slacked off.

I still have a puppy, and he's still gorgeous.

**Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, would I be here? Common sense, folks!**

* * *

**  
**

**xIceBreakingx**

**xChapter 10: Are we There Yet?x**

Silence spread through the forest like mist, seeping through every corner and trespassing into every tree, claiming the space. Not even the sweet chirps of birds could be heard in the sweet autumn day. The gentle sun's rays played tricks with the water and created the different colors and reflections that have the scene an aspect of surrealism and paradise.

The silence was abruptly interrupted by a loud, flat sound. _That_ was the end of the silence. The spell was broken, and animals seemed to be free to move once again. The rustle of the leaves and the soft calls of the animals were once again allowed in the forest.

Two frozen figures, however, stood in the midst of the woods, wordlessly staring at each other. After three heartbeats, one of them lashed out.

"What was that for?!" Demanded one very stunned SAsuke. Sakura's hand did not move from its extended position, inches away from her companion's face. The spot where she had hit throbbed lightly, and it stung. This, however, was nothing compared to the Shinobi's wounded ego.

"Don't _ever_ kiss me without my permission." Sakura hissed dangerously. With gritted teeth, she turned around and walked away. Sasuke stared after her, dumbfounded.

_What the HELL?!_

_**You totally had it coming.**_

_What do you mean?! I apologized to her! And what's with the slap!?_

_**Aren't you supposed to be a prodigy? Of course she slapped you!**_

_You're obviously seeing something I'm not, so please, EXPLAIN._

_**-sigh- Fine. First, you are extremely arrogant; you cannot force your feelings at her, and you cannot just kiss her whenever you feel like it! She's not your toy.**_

_I never said she was!_

_**Your actions prove otherwise, Einstein.**_

_I just can't et it right with her, can I?_

_**Not by acting the way you do, no.**_

Sasuke sighed, frustrated. He was trying. Honest. The poor thing was just too rtarded when it came to women.

Sakura, who had stormed off, was well ahead of her companion, and for that she was thankful. She needed this time to put her thoughts in order. As her mind crept back into the memory, she blushed a deep scarlet.

_**Nice right hook!**_

_I can't believe I just did that…._

_**Well, believe it, cuz you were awesome! I couldn't be more proud!**_

_But…._

_**But nothing, kid. He had it coming! Who the hell does he think he is?! Grabbing you and kissing you like he owns you or something! Listen to me, and listen to me good, you did the right thing, slappin him. Now he'll think twice before he tries something like that again!**_

Sakura's hand flew to her face, and her fingertips gently brushed her lips softly.

_What if I _want_ him to try it again?_

She wanted no answer from her inner, so she continued walking by herself. Sasuke made no effort to catch up with her. He was busy sorting his thoughts out as well. Little did they both know that they were being watched intently, and that their stalker was much satisfied with what he had seen. He disappeared into the woods before being detected by both distracted ninja.

* * *

"At least we got out of _that_ one," Ino said and sighed. "I'll tell you what, you will _never_ see me volunteering for a teaching job." Kiba merely glared at her from a few steps behind.

"Is something wrong?" she asked as she noticed the lack of response from her companion.

"You threw Akamaru." He stated. She stared at him blankly, confused. Had Kiba not been so upset, he would have cracked a Blonde Joke.

"What?"

"In the classroom. You threw him."

"Oh, that." She said, and shrugged. "What about it?"

"What do you mean, what about it? You threw my dog! Through the air!"

"Yeah," she said slowly, as if not understanding, "What about it?"

Kiba stared at her, shocked. Ino blinked repeatedly. He tried to get into the blonde's mind to understand her thoughts; try to think like her. Nothing.

"Were you dropped on your head as a baby?" he asked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ino asked, offended. "Of course I wasn't! Okay, maybe I was, but that's not the point! What do you mean by that?" she demanded.

"You," he said, pointing at her, "_Threw_ my dog!"

"What's your point?"

"Ino! You do _not _go around tossing people's friends!"

"Oh, take a chill pill, Kiba. I was in a bad mood."

"What would you do if I threw one of _your_ friends through the air because I was in a bad mood?!" Kiba demanded.

"Me? Laugh. Specially since you would get your ass kicked by Sakura for _trying_ to throw her in the air." Ino said thoughtfully.

"You're missing the point!"

"Well, if you threw TenTen, the results would be pretty much the same…. And Hinata would probably pass out and Neji would kick your ass…. I don't think you want that…"

"Dear God woman! You have the attention span of a fly! You had to be a blonde, didn't you?!"

"What did you say, Dog breath?!"

"You heard me, Chihuahua brain!"

"If I'm not mistaken, and I am usually not, you two are going to end up married." Said the voice of Kakashi, which appeared out of nowhere. Both Shinobi attempted to find the source of the voice, but were unsuccessful.

"Come out here and say that to our faces!" Challenged an irritated Ino. She stood under the shadow of a tree, waiting for the sensei to make himself visible. She did not expect, however, said man dangling upside-down from a branch of the very tree under she stood.

As Kakashi dropped into this upside-down position, Ino skipped back several feet in reflex, which triggered Kiba, who jumped in front of her, ready to defend her. Kakashi merely dropped into an upright position; book in hand, as usual.

"Kakashi-sensei!" both Shinobi exclaimed at the same time. Ino was still behind Kiba, who remained in a defensive position, protecting the Kunoichi.

"Well, you two seem to be getting along well," their sensei pointed out, "Didn't Kurenai punish you?"

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Ino's voice overlapped Kiba's "Yeah, but we got out," and sounded like a mush of sounds that Kakashi understood for some reason.

"Lucky you!" he said and seemed to smile. Though neither one would admit it, both students found this kind of creepy. "Well, I'm gonna be leaving soon, see you later, lovebirds!"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING LOVEBIRDS, YOU PERVERTEDWEIRDOFREAKYRANDOMDISGUSTINGCREEPYOLDGUY?!" Ino roared. Kiba was internally glad that this rage was not directed at him, but held a grip on his friend, trying to soothe her ire.

"Old?" Kakashi asked, hurt. "I'm not old…" he said gloomily.

"Then stop saying things that are not true!" Ino raged. Kakashi sighed.

"Fine," he said, readying himself to leave, "but correct me if I'm wrong," he said with a sly glance, "from what I'm seeing, he jumped in front of you for protection _and_, he is now holding you…" and with that, he disappeared into a poof of smoke, leaving two Shinobi, standing several feet apart and looking away, trying to hide the slightest hint of a blush.

* * *

_**I can't believe you **_**actually**_** managed to screw it up some more.**_

_Shut up._

_**Seriously, I thought that it was as bad as it would get, but **_**boy**, _**was I wrong!**_

_Shut uuuuuuup._

_**Then again, you **_**are **_**Sasuke, king of idiots…**_

_I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP, DAMMIT._

_**Hit a nerve, did I not?**_

_Just…. Leave me alone…_

_**I thought you didn't care about her.**_

_Go… please, just go._

_**You can't run from yourself forever.**_

_You don't know that._

Neither leaf ninja spoke a word to each other, for they were much too occupied dealing with themselves at the time. Sakura was also having an internal conflict with herself while she walked, and though she tried to hide her sadness, it seeped through the façade that she wore.

_**Why the long face? You won. **_**You**_** rejected **_**him**_**. You finally beat him.**_

_Then why do I feel so terrible?_

_**What do you mean?**_

_I feel…. Lonely…._

_**But you rejected him. That's what you wanted, right?**_

_Yeah…. I wanted him to feel what I felt… all these years…._

_**You got your wish. You rejected him the same way he rejected you.**_

_Then why do I feel like I did something terribly wrong?_

_**When you slapped him... what were you thinking?**_

_I'm not sure… just that I had to do it._

_**And the exact moment before?**_

_Nothing._

_**What did you feel, then? How did your body react?**_

_Like my heart was on my throat._

_**And after?**_

_Like I'd made a mistake._

_**Then maybe you did.**_

_But you said it yourself! He had it coming!_

_**Are you saying that that's what you wanted?**_

_Yes… No… I don't know._

_**You don't know what you want… which means that you might've had everything at hand and threw it away…**_

Sakura pretended not to hear the voice in her head say that, but she had. She knew it was true but tried hard to ignore it. Too hard, actually. So much that her mind was completely consumed by this thought, and did not feel the new presence that lurked. Sasuke didn't miss it.

_**You wanna know why this is so hard on you?**_

_No._

_**I'll tell you anyways.**_

_Don't._

_**Why not?**_

_Because I don't want to hear it._

_**That's because you already know what I'm about to say.**_

_Just shut up!_

_**Face it, Sakura—**_

"---Sakura! Look out!" Sasuke's voice tore though Sakura's internal dialogue and she immediately switched to alarm mode. She felt a presence to the right, and turned, but then realized that it was not at her right, but her left.

No, behind!

No, in front of her!

She tried to take on the multiple attacks from several positions, and she them off vigorously. To avoid the attacks, she jumped as high as her legs would take her and then bashed the aggressors with kunais that fell from the sky like acid rain. Though they all managed to avoid serious damage, a few scratches here and there gave Sakura a very small yet existent advantage.

She fought bravely, and so did Sasuke. Each of them took on four adversaries, and once she could feel no more unfamiliar chakra in the area, she turned to her teammate wanting to make sure that he was okay. There she saw Sasuke, brooding. She sighed and walked over towards him, through the path of unconscious bodies; one lay sprawled face down in the mud, another one lay against a tree and the other one was on his side.

Sakura kept walking, but she felt this nagging feeling… she tried to shrug it off, but it pulled harder and harder. Soon, it was just too much to ignore, so Sakura tried to understand what it meant. As soon as she opened her mind to process the feeling, she realized that something was terribly wrong.

Her head turned so fast that she got a whiplash. Pink hair flailed in the wind as she scanned through each of the bodies.

One.

Two.

Three.

_No. _

She was turning around already when she felt an unfamiliar presence approach. _Fast_. Along with the gush of wind that was then caressing her face, she heard the distinctive voice of Sasuke, only there was something that she didn't recognize: his tone.

Anger? No, she'd heard it before…

Was it…. Could it be…. Was that…. Panic?

Sakura had no time to ponder on the tone. His sharp cry echoed into her ears as blood gushed into her head.

"Sakura, look out!" he screamed, but his cry was drowned into the nothingness that consumed Sakura as she felt the sharp, slicing pain course through her. Her last thoughts before she lost consciousness were a reprimand towards herself for being so careless, but she was unable to finish even that, because she had fallen unconscious into the arms of her attacker.

* * *

"Yamanaka-san, Inuzuka-san," an ANBU officer called both Shinobi, who, since Kakashi's comment, had kept their distance from each other. "Lady Tsunade needs you right now in her office." The officer said. Both ninja followed through.

As they reached the Hokage tower, Ino felt the tension build up, and so did Akamaru; there was something wrong… to much stress…. Too much preoccupation…

Kiba only felt his stomach growl.

They entered in tow into the Hokage's office, and Lady Tsunade was, for once, ignoring the bottle of sake and focusing on a pile of papers that sat in front of her. She did not notice them standing there until the ANBU announced them and went on his way. TSunade did not much to acknowledge either Shinobi, she just lifted her gaze and dropped it onto the papers once again.

"We have received notice that our Shinobi may be in trouble. I'm sure you've heard about this clan that is trying to pick fights with everybody… Well, I want you to check on a specific team." Tsunade rushed, not making proper pauses nor stop for oxygen.

"Which one?" asked Kiba. The Gondaime skimmed through some papers and raised an elegant brow, amused.

"Why, Sasuke and Sakura, apparently…" She said. Ino tried to hide her grin, but Kiba noticed.

* * *

Oh, this was going to be fuuuuun.

Sorry it took me so long, but I already excused myself.

Feel free to review and critique, you know I love it!

-GPQ


	12. Chapter 11: Stay for Dinner!

Hullo, I've been reading a bunch of Mystery Stories lately, so I'm hyped up with 'em.

I looooove Agatha Christie. And Sherlock Holmes. And Detective Conan.

I missed y'all.

Disclaimer: The owner of Naruto PWNS me.

* * *

**xIceBreakingx**

**xChapter 11: Stay For Dinner, Why Don't You?x**

To a normal person, the scene seemed peaceful.

To a normal person, the scene was silent.

To a normal person, the scene was safe.

Luckily, there was nobody normal there.

The supposed peaceful scene was actually hidden behind the stench of death and blood. It was shrouded under the large quilt of danger.

If one were to pay attention, one would realize that the silence was a lie. In reality, there was a loud noise that filled the air, and it seemed so natural to the plain eye, yet so dreadful to somebody who understood.

The ninja's blood froze, as well as his entire body. His brain was unable to control his legs, and fear overwhelmed him. The only thing he understood now was the hopelessness of his situation as he faced the red eyes and chirping birds of the Great Uchiha Avenger.

Mercifully, Sasuke did not allow the ninja to be afraid for long, and finished him soon. The last image that crossed the ninja's mind was how he wished that he had said a proper goodbye to his partners.

As the lifeless body sprawled to the ground at the Shinobi's feet, looked at his hands with disgust, wondering why he had dirtied them with the blood of a lowlife such as that ninja.

De walked over the corpse and gazed around at the three unconscious ninja. He had known that Sakura hadn't had the heart to kill them. He thought nothing of it, really, just that that was Sakura.

Sweet Sakura.

Merciful Sakura.

_Foolish_ Sakura.

She didn't know the world; not like he did. She was ignorant. Blissfully so. She had a family. She had a life. She had a dream. She had hope.

He had always envied her. She was a Kunoichi –a _good_ Kunoichi—and she had seen fights and death. She had healed and lost. She had cried and suffered, but she still believed.

She believed in love and hope, that they were enough to carry her through everything. She believed in wisdom and strength, and that, if she fought hard enough, they would come to her. She believed in the kindness of the hearts and the ability of one person to change and outgrow himself; she believed in _him._

He approached her with a steady step while he thought of her foolishness. As he knelt to the ground, he realized that this did not disturb him. However, the most important realization dawned upon him as he took her in his arms and realized that her foolish dreams were something _he_ was holding on to.

He stared at her blank, unconscious expression, studying it. He wanted to know what made her believe in lost causes and basket cases. He wondered what made her smile at him again.

Sasuke knew he had screwed up. He knew that the entire village hated him, and that they had every right to, but regardless of what anyone said, Sakura had gone with him on this mission. He knew that, regardless of what she said, if she had _really_ set her mind to it, she could have easily dodged the mission.

And even if she hadn't been able to, and she was _forced_ (he doubted anyone could _force_ Sakura Haruno to do _anything_) onto this mission, why had she _tried_ to become his friend? She could have ignored him; that's what _anyone_ _else_ would have done, and yet she didn't. Reluctantly, she had suggested a game. She had seemed uncomfortable, yes, but she had done it.

A small part of Sasuke wondered if she had meant what she said before. Was there a part of her, even the smallest one, that still believed in him? Could she? After all of this, could she really?

He was surprised by a weird feeling in his hand. He felt something trickling through his fingers; something liquid but dense; something he knew only too well.

_Blood_.

He shifted his body so that Sakura (who was being carried bridal style while unconscious) could rest her head against his upper arm while he checked his hand.

Indeed, a fairly large amount of blood was pooled in his palm, and it was sliding through his fingers down his arm.

He needed to tend Sakura.

Fast.

He cursed under his breath as he realized that there was nothing that he, himself, could do. He had absolutely no knowledge of the medical ninjutsu techniques, and his very-limited knowledge on superficial wounds would not be any good here, in the middle of nowhere, without so much as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding.

He felt a pang –_just a pang_, he remarked– of panic sweep quickly over him. He pushed frustration and fear back, though, because he was an Uchiha, and an Uchiha _never_ fears.

His jaw, he said to himself, was only clenched because he was irritated. Nothing else.

Sasuke let himself feel the frustration for a second as he spared his teammate a glance –only a glance! –since he didn't care for her. He only needed her alive until they got back to Konoha, then she could drop dead, for all he cared.

After all, she was nothing to him.

Then why, he wondered, was his entire body tense and his fists were clenched.

_**Because you're a liar who can't fool himself.**_

_I didn't ask you._

_**You never have and you never will.**_

_And yet you're still talking._

_**And you're still an idiot.**_

_Will you ever shut up?_

_**Sure. The day you realize how much you've screwed up.**_

_Hn._

Sasuke's cool attitude soon melted, though for he felt Sakura's blood trickling down his arm faster. He was taking too long.

_I need to help her._

He looked at her face, which grew paler and paler as the seconds passed, and he realized that there was only one thing left to do.

His head pounded with the dilemma. There was a war going on in his mind.

On one side, there was the 'rational' side of his mind, which told him that he had to take Sakura somewhere safe to treat her, but there was only _one_ place that he could get her to, and _that's_ where the opposing side kicked in.

Absently, Sasuke's gaze drifted into the direction of the Village Hidden in the Waterfall. He knew that it was the only place where hey knew who they were and who would treat Sakura without much trouble.

Normally, this would be good enough for him –well, in this situation, a cot and a towel would be good enough for him–but there was a problem with Waterfall.

One simple problem.

_Shibuki._

Sasuke almost growled at the name. He was a weak man who had relied on Team Seven, which consisted of three _children_ to save his village because he was too much of a coward to do it himself.

_**Though if I recall correctly, he ended up coming back and nearly getting himself killed for the sake of his village.**_

_So? He's still a weak excuse of a pile of scum._

_**Are you sure that's it?**_

_What's what?_

_**I mean, are you sure that you dislike him because of what happened that time?**_

_That was the only time I saw him, what else could it be?_

_**That's not entirely true….**_

_Yeah it is. I haven't seen him since then._

_**You saw him a few hours ago.**_

_Oh, that? Yeah. So what?_

_**Oh, please, he was **_**openly**_** flirting with Sakura, and you didn't like it one bit.**_

_With your imagination, you should become a writer._

_**Yeah, I probably should, being your conscience/other self is definitely not satisfactory.**_

_Well, jolly, don't forget to write._

Grudgingly, though, Sasuke accepted a partial truth of that statement. He decided to settle with thinking that he disliked Shibuki's attitude from before, and did not bother going deeper into this statement.

_**Denial.**_

_De-fuck off._

Sasuke pressed Sakura closer to his body and stared at her for half a second. Her face grew paler with each passing moment, and Sasuke knew that she didn't have time. He clenched his jaw, and with chagrin he made way as fast as he could towards the village hidden in the mist.

4823095!%%&%^*

* * *

Ino, Kiba and Akamaru sped through the woods swiftly and quickly, avoiding the trees that they came across. Ino's entire concentration was directed into a single order: _stop giggling._

For the past few days, she had been wondering how Sakura's mission had gone, and if there had been something going on between her and Sasuke. Since Sakura was due to return a week after her departure, and Ino's patience just didn't stretch that long, so having a sneak peak at what was going on was a thrill to the bored kunoichi.

Kiba wasn't the least bit preoccupied, either. Even though a long time had passed since he had seen Sasuke in battle, he knew that this back-up mission was just a sample of the Gondaime's exaggeration. He knew perfectly well how the old woman went a little over the edge sometimes when she was out of alcohol (he remembered Sakura calling it withdrawal).

While both their minds were occupied with these trivial thoughts, Akamaru could feel a dark presence lurking around them. He whimpered slightly, and Ino took no notice. Kiba, on the other hand, stayed alert in case something was up.

"Kiba… don't you think it's odd?" asked Ino out of the blue. This question caught Kiba off-guard.

"What's odd?" Kiba asked, tilting his head slightly over his shoulder to catch a glimpse of his blonde companion.

"Tsunade sent just you and me. Teams aren't supposed to consist of less than three ninja, and there's only you and me here." Akamaru protested. "_Biped_ ninja." Ino stressed. Akamaru growled.

Kiba scanned the surroundings for ninjas.

_One._

_Two._

_Three._

That's it.

Three ninja? No, it couldn't be. Just three ninja? With that chakra level?

No. It didn't seem right to him. There was no way in which he could alert Ino without giving the game away, so he'd have to settle by himself. He stole a glance from his partner and cursed in his mind for her distraction. He knew that something as stupid as that could cost him the mission.

#$^*(*&^$#(

* * *

"Identify yourself!" a guard from Mist interrupted SAsuke's path.

Poor, _poor_ idiot.

"Out of my way." Sasuke said as he pushed aside (though it was more like _kicking_ aside) the guard, who immediately called for reinforcements. Sasuke paid no mind to this and rushed to the hospital.

Soon, Sasuke had at least twenty guards on his tail. This, however, didn't seem to distract him. His sole goal was to get Sakura treatment. Fast.

He busted in through the doors, startling the nurse who was doing a crossword puzzle out of boredom. She was so shocked that she dropped her pen.

"Y-Y-Yes?" She stammered. At first she had been charmed with Sasuke's looks, but the anger and desperation in his eyes made her forget all about it, and she couldn't unglue her eyes from his panicked –yes, _panicked_– face.

"She needs treatment. Now." He said shortly. The nurse was finally able to tear her terrified eyes from Sasuke's face, and was drawn to the unconscious girl he brought in arms. She forgot all about the boy and gasped. This girl was pale as paper!

"Quickly!" She called, "Somebody get me a bed and some doctors!" Not two seconds after the words left her lips, there was a frightful amount of people n the room: some doctors, some ninja. Sasuke was quickly pinned against the floor by an army.

Sasuke watched the nurses take Sakura away and sighed. Whatever happened now made no difference; Sakura was safe.

The doctors crossed a pair of swinging doors, which Sasuke kept his eyes fixed on. His sight was impaired, though, by a pair of legs. He recognized the owner, though, and a low growl emerged from the back of his throat.

"Leave 'im be," He said with a smug smile. "He's with me."

"Lord Shibuki," one of the guards said uneasily and let go of Sasuke. The raven-haired boy shook the rest of the guards off and glared _daggers _into their skulls. The guards stepped back but remained nearby in case their lord needed them.

"So, Uchiha-san," Shibuki said with an –_arrogant_, Sasuke thought –smirk.  
"What brings someone like _you_"-_disdain_- "to this Village?"

"Sakura was in danger." Sasuke said. Shibuki's grin died down a bit and he acquired a more serious stance,

"Somebody was following you?" he demanded with a shaky tone.

_Desperation_.

"Of course not." Sasuke said, with an edge of indignity. "We were attacked for the gazzillionth time in this trip, and one of the attacks drained her a lot."

"Will she be alright?" Shibuki asked, looking over his shoulder at the still doors that led to the ER.

"Only if you want your village to stay standing by tonight."

Shibuki uttered a small 'polite' –more like jerkish –laugh. Sasuke glared at Shibuki.

One of the doctors from the squad promptly approached Shibuki and updated the situation. Shibuki's face relaxed and his whole stance seems more loose when he turned to Sasuke.

"There is nothing to worry about." Shibuki said. Sasuke –though he would never admit it –felt relieved. "She'll be up and at it soon enough. No more than three hours."

"Hn."

"Well, then," said Shibuki, "You two should rest here tonight so that Sakura-san gets back on her feet. I'd be more than happy to offer my residence to you two."

SAsuke growled, but he knew that he had no other choice. This clan was on their tail and Sakura needed time to get back on her feet. He stared in the direction that they were going, as if he could spot the Village from where he was standing. He sighed.

"Fine."

* * *

* * *

There.

I'm sorry if it was too serious, I've had several issues this week and I'm not particularly in the mood to write jokes.


	13. Chapter 12: The More The Merrier

I'm in med school!!!!!!!!

Literally, I am LIVING THE DREAM, BABY!

Well, that aside, my friend Ally is getting married, which is AWESOME. So, in case Ally is reading this:

Okay, on with the story:

Disclaimer: One day, I will fly to neverland and own Naruto. Until then, I will live under my mom's roof and write fanfics.

* * *

**xIceBreakingx**

**xChapter 12: The More The Merrierx**

"Soooooo, Darling, what's on your mind?" Shibuki asked while slightly tilting his head over his shoulder, glancing at Sasuke with a sly grin.

Sasuke glared at the man without shifting from his position on the stool—

_**Which you should totally beat his ass with**_

and clenched his jaw, pressing his lips together. He knew that the ball was in Shibuki's court now, and that any false movement could leave him in quite a bad position. With a swing of his arm, Sasuke gulped the sake from his cup and slammed the empty porcelain back into the mahogany table.

"None of your business." Sasuke answered courtly, figuring that this was a better answer than none at all.

"Oh, come on, Sasuke—"

_**In what universe does he think it's right to address you like that?!**_

"it's all going to be alright. Sakura—"

_**And there he goes again, talking as if he's lifelong friends with us!**_

"is in great hands. You have to learn to _chill._"

"Hn."

_Tch. Drunk bastard._

_**Prick.**_

_I should—_

_**Beat his ass to the bloody pulp?**_

_For the first time in my life, we agree._

_**Weird, huh? Well you still have some sort of feelings for your partner, and **_**that's**_** not going away, so I'm pretty sure you'll go back to hating me soon enough.**_

_Ah, we agree a second time. Now fuck off._

_**I love you too, honey.**_

Sasuke turned to see Shibuki, who seemed to be in a much worse state than five minutes before. His eyes were glazed, his face was red, and he had a goofy grin plastered on his quite large mouth.

"Sooo, Sawskay, How's lyfe treatn yo?" Shibuki slurred.

"Hn."

"I see… Well, whut's goeng awn between yo an Sawkoorah?"

"What kind of question is that?" Sasuke asked. He held his cup in his hand and moved it around a bit before gulping its contents once again.

"Ya know whut a' mean. a'm askin yeh if yeh too arr daytin."

"You're asking whether Sakura and I are dating?" Sasuke confirmed.

"Yeh, dat's wut a' sed."

_**Don't answer.**_

_Why?_

_**It's a lose-lose situation for you. If you say 'nothing', he's gonna think he's got a free pass to ask her out—**_

_How does that concern me?_

_**You can't lie to me.**_

_What's the other option then?_

_**If you say that there **_**is**_** something going on and Sakura finds out, you're gonna have to explain it to her, which would suck BIG TIME.**_

"There's nothing going on between us."

"A' see. Then she's free gaym, yea?"

"Hn."

"Sweet." Shibuki said and tried to stand up from his chair. He tripped on one of the legs and caught his balance and laughed. Sasuke found this booming and clumsy laughter particularly annoying, and was thankful to find that Shibuki seemed to be retiring. "Well, Sawskay, Imma turn een. Mah hows ees yer hows. See yeh layterr." And Shibuki stumbled away.

Sasuke was left alone in the bar to think about his conversation with Shibuki. As he stood up to leave, Sasuke slammed the money on the table for the bartender to pick up while he wondered what on Earth had the drunk man told this foreigner to make him so upset.

* * *

12312425

"Hey, Ino, how about we take a break?" Kiba asked, hoping to gain some turf on the ninja that were closing in.

"Roger that!" Ino chimed gleefully as she stopped on a tree-branch.

"Could you do me a favor? Could you go get some water? I hear a river nearby." Kiba said. He heard the light shift of the leaves and the ninja stopped behind him. There was no other choice. He'd have to take them on when Ino was gone, and he could only cross his fingers that no one would follow her.

The moment she as out of earshot range, Kiba straightened up.

"Don't take me for a fool, I know you're there."

"Ah," said the ninja wearing a headband of the Village Hidden in the Grass that appeared on the ground, 7 feet to Kiba's right. "I did not expect any less from the Fugetsu Clan."

"Fugetsu? What the hell do you want from us?" Kiba asked. The answer came in the form of a feminine voice that stood on the tree behind Kiba's back.

"We are here to detain you. You have brought enough troubles to all the villages in the continent. A war is imminent if you are not stopped."

"My partner and I are not part of that clan that has been screwing around." Kiba said quite seriously. He glanced at Akamaru for an assessment of the numbers of the other party in case it came down to a fight.

_Five ninja._

_South East, North, South West, Northeast._

And the last one…

_Above!_

"Do you think we will fall for such a transparent lie?" said the treetop ninja and disappeared.

_This is gonna get ugly._

As if on cue, three ninja left their hiding places and attacked. Kiba skillfully avoided two of the kunai thrown his way, but one managed to graze his upper left arm.

In a split second, he was airborne, attacking the two closest ninja while Akamaru bit another one's leg to win him a second or two. Kiba knocked an opponent out easily, but the other one slipped out in time. Meanwhile, the other ninja was breaking free from Akamaru's grasp.

After a moment, Kiba realized something.

"Where the hell are your partners?!" Kiba yelled. He managed to get a good grip on his rival's throat as he asked.

"Where do you think?" the ninja replied, not managing to get a good breath. "Do you think we're letting your partner off the hook?"

Kiba's eyes shot open. His grip tightened around the man's throat.

_Ino_.

"What did you do with my partner?!" Kiba cried. He wasn't aware of the ninja that Akamaru had been holding off, who managed to break free. Kiba barked loudly, but it took Kiba way too long to understand what was happening. He turned his head to the left and knew that it was too late. One of the ninja was just a few meters away and there seemed to be no way to avoid imminent contact. Kiba clenched his teeth and cursed.

_Kuso!_

Kiba watched the ninja approach fast and saw in slow motion as his fist approached his face. Suddenly, however, the fist stopped. Kiba blinked twice, waiting, but nothing moved. He raised his sight to the face of his attacker and saw the evident rage and confusion reflected upon it.

"W-w-what the…?" the ninja muttered, and then a blank look overtook his face the second before his eyes closed and he fell limply into the ground. Kiba looked behind him at another Grass ninja who had evidently attacked. Kiba's shock melted into surprise.

"Ino?" Kiba asked, dumbfounded.

"Who else, butt-wipe?" Asked the Grass ninja. "You sure are lucky to have me around, or that guy would've wiped the floor with your ass!" he/she said and stuck a thumb out, pointing over his shoulder.

Kiba sighed. "Just shut up and help me up. We've got miles to go."

"Fine, just let me find my body."

1238094283

* * *

Slowly adjusting to the intense light in the room, Sakura opened her eyes.

The bright lit room confused her upon awakening. She remembered being in the middle of a fight…

_The fight!_

She sat on her bed with a jolt and quickly scanned her surroundings. There was a note of panic to her movements.

"Try not to move much, Sakura-sama, or your stitches might come undone." Said a tall man wearing a white coat. Sakura instinctively reached for a kunai under her pillow, but found nothing but air.

"There is no need to get defensive, Sakura-sama. You are in the Central Hospital of the Village Hidden in the Waterfall." Said the doctor. Sakura blinked repeatedly.

"How.." she croaked. Clearing her throat, she tried again, "How did I get here?"

"I am afraid that I do not know the details, but Lord Shibuki ordered us to keep you comfortable while you get back to your feet."

"Where's Sasuke?" Sakura stammered.

"Sasuke?" The doctor asked, then understood, "Your partner?"

"Yes." Sakura said curtly before demanding, "where is he?"

"He is staying with Lord Shibuki, but if you wish, I can have him called."

"Do it." She ordered urgently. The doctor seemed to ignore her rudeness and smiled politely before walking out of the room. Sakura buried her face in her palms.

_What the hell happened to me?_

"Haruno-sama?" The doctor from before popped his head back into the room in an almost comical fashion. This startled Sakura.

"Yes?"

"Your partner has arrived."

_That was quick._

_**Well, he was always quite skilled at, well, everything.**_

_I wonder why he came to see me?_

_**BLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP**_

_What are you doing?_

_**Sounding the alarm.**_

_I'll regret asking this, but what alarm?_

_**The alarm that tells you that you're going down the wrong road again.**_

_You are insufferable._

_**I am a projection of you.**_

_I hate you._

_**Self-loathing isn't good, hun.**_

_Screw you._

_**Bitter Shrew. See? We rhyme.**_

_I'm officially ignoring you._

The door opened silently, as if it knew who was coming in. Sakura pressed her lips together as she waited for her comrade to fully appear in her presence.

As he emerged completely, Sakura had to actively bring herself back to reality. It's impressive that, after all this time, he still had _this_ effect on her.

"How are you feeling?" Sakura realized with some chagrin that Sasuke's voice could make her shiver. Thankfully, his tone was so sharp that it could cut through the pleasure of hearing him talk.

"I'm good." She said, swinging her legs to the side of the bed.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Sasuke said. Sakura didn't even bother inquiring as she tried to stand up. Her legs weakened and the dropped to the ground, yelping. Sasuke caught her before hitting he floor. "Told you."

Sakura felt slight irritation at this, but thanked him nonetheless. "I can hold myself up, thank you." she said and tried to hoist herself away from him. Sasuke found himself grasping her until the very last moment, but refused to acknowledge it.

Both parties looked away for a couple of seconds. Sakura broke the silence.

"Sasuke?"

"Yes?"

"Could you please get out so I can dress myself?"

"Hn."

* * *

"They came though here not long ago." Kiba said as Ino caught up with him.

"How can you tell?" Ino asked. She looked around, trying to find evidence of Kiba's statement.

"Akamaru can smell them. They probably came by yesterday." He closed his eyes and then opened them. "Sakura in injured."

"Waterfall." Ino said.

"Huh?"

"If Sakura is injured, they're probably taking a break at the Village Hidden in the Waterfall."

"Well, then off to waterfall we are."

* * *

"Hello, Sakura, Sasuke," Shibuki nodded courteously at both Shinobi. "I trust that you slept well?"

"Yes, thank you for your hospitality." Sakura thanked.

"Of course." He said. "Sakura, is it possible for me to have a word with you?"

Sakura blinked repeatedly. "Why yes… of course…" Soon, both of them were out of Sasuke's earshot. He clenched his teeth and decided to drink something.

* * *

Thanks for reading, y'all!

Again, I apologize for being late, I;m just swamped lately, but I love it!

My novel is almost done! :D

I have a kitty-cat!

I adore him3

And I am reeeeeaally close to becoming a lesbian. I hate men.

Ah, men, can't live with them mentally, can't live without 'em physically.

xDD

Just kidding.

Love y'all!


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